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INDMtN 



MISSIONARY REMINISCENCES, 



PRINCIPALLY OF THE 



WYANDOT NATION. 



IN WHICH IS EXHIBITED THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL 
IN ELEVATING IGSOKANT AND SAVAGE MEN. 



BY THE REV. CHARLES ELLIOTT, 

SOME TIMJE MISSIONAUr AMONG THE W VANDOTS. 



" Where there is neither Greeii nor Jew, circumcision nor uu- 
eircumcision. Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free : but Christ w 
all, and in all," Col. iii, 11. ...... 



PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT, 

fOE THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION OF THE METHODIST EPTgCOPAL 
CHURCH, 200 MULEEERY-STREET. 

JOSEPH LONGKING, PRINTER. 

1850. 



F?7 






PREFACE. 



The following is the history of these Remi- 
niscences. While missionary at Upper Sandus- 
ky, in 1822, the author kept a brief journal of 
passing events, for the first three months of his 
stay there. The keeping of the journal was 
interrupted by the increased duties of an exten- 
sive revival, in the first place ; and subsequent- 
ly, by his spending the latter half of the year in 
obtaining supplies for the increasing wants of 
the mission school and family. The Reminis- 
cences took their origin as follows : — About 
the end of February, 1834, shortly after the 
writer commenced editing the Pittsburg Con- 
ference Journal, he was relating one day the 
substance of what is contained in Reminiscence 
XVI., to some friends in the printing office. 
They requested that it would be written and 
published. This was done, and after the pub- 
lication of this, several others followed. Short- 
ly after this, some thought that the incidents 
contained in these unadorned and unpretending 
narratives might be interesting to the public as 
a Sunday school book. This led the writer to 



6 PREFACE. 

add the above-named journal and some other 
incidents not published in the Conference Jour- 
nal. He judges that the life of Between-the- 
Logs will be acceptable to most. He also sup- 
poses that the concluding observations on the 
efficacy of the Gospel, both in civilizing and 
Christianizing man, will not be unacceptable 
to those who may have patience to read what 
precedes ; or who feel interested in the con- 
version of the world. No one who peruses this 
humble production will expect any literary em- 
bellishment. This is beyond the reach, and, 
in this work, foreign to, the design of the writ- 
er of the Reminiscences. 

Charles Elliott. 
Pittsburg, Feh.^ 1835. 



INDIAN 
MISSIONARY REMINISCENCES. 

REMINISCENCE I. 

John Steward the coloured man, the apostle of the 
Wyandots — His conversion — Licensed to exhort — Re- 
markable dream — Sets out from Marietta toward the 
north-west — Arrives at Goshen among the Moravian 
Delawares — Journey to Pipetown — Incidents there. 

John Steward was born and raised in Pow- 
hattan county, Va. He was a free mulatto, and 
claimed kindred with the Indians. In the early 
part of his life, he lived without an experimental 
knowledge of religion. He could read and write 
but imperfectly, yet, after he became religious, 
he improved much in reading, so that he could 
read, with tolerable fluency and precision, his 
Bible and hymn book. Through the instrumen- 
tality of Methodist preaching, he was convinced 
of his sinfulness by nature and practice. He 
sought God earnestly, and found the pearl of 
great price, accompanied with the direct wit- 
ness of his sonship, by the agency of the Holy 
Spirit ; a clear sense of which he afterward re- 
tained. In his Christian experience he was 
very clear. This I learned from hearing him 
preach, pray, and exhort, frequently, as well as 
from frequent private conversations with him. 
He prayed much, and lived near to God. 



8 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Marietta, where he obtained the reputation 
of a consistent Christian. After some time, in 
consideration of his gifts, graces, and prospec- 
tive usefulness, he was regularly licensed to ex- 
liort ; and as an exhorter he laboured, especially 
among the people of his own colour, with ac- 
ceptance and usefulness. Shortly after he was 
thus licensed, he esteemed it his duty to call 
sinners to repentance, in a more extended way 
than what falls ordinarily to the lot of exhort- 
ers. But as there is something altogether ex- 
traordinary connected with this man, a minute 
history of his early movements may not be un- 
acceptable. With him I had frequent conver- 
sations respecting the first steps by which he 
was led to attempt to preach among the Indians. 

About the time, or shortly after he commenc- 
ed exhorting, he had a remarkable dream. And 
although dreams are uncertain directories, and 
are never to be followed, unless they have the 
authority of the revealed word to sanction what 
they teach, yet when they teach us what the 
Bible and common sense teach us, it is wise 
and safe to follow them. The only reason why 
we ascribe Steward's dream to a good cause, 
was, that the subsequent steps by which he was 
conducted lead us to the certainty of facts, 
which testify that his cause was one that was 
under the direction of the Almighty. 

He dreamed that he was in a certain house, 
about to commence a religious meeting, and that 
an Indian man and woman, while he was sitting. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 9 

came into the house, clothed in particular gar- 
ments — -they came into the house in a peculiar 
manner — accosted him, and shook hands with 
him — retired and took their seats — and seemed 
to manifest peculiar earnestness and interest in 
respect to his message. He also gathered from 
them, that they invited him to go and preach for 
their people, who lived in a direction north-west 
from Marietta. This dream made an uncom- 
mon impression on his mind. And though he 
used many means to argue away its force, it still 
clung to him by day and by night. When he 
resisted the impression on his mind, he was af- 
terward in a state of mental misery. But when 
he was determined to follow the indented im- 
pression of his mind, his peace and joy returned. 
He would frequently go into the woods and fields, 
to pray, and ask God for direction. It seemed 
to him as if he heard the voice of these two In- 
dians continually, saw them always before his 
eyes, and heard their invitation to him, to come 
and preach to them, as well as their warning to 
preach the truth faithfully. He would sometimes 
seem to hear them praise God with sweetest 
voices. They still seemed to come from the 
north-west, and invited him to proceed in that 
direction. He would sometimes find himself 
standing on his feet, and addressing a congre- 
gation. A sense of his weakness and ignorance 
prevented him from attempting the contemplated 
journey, though his mind was continually drawn 
to travel toward the source from whence the 
voices came. Th« impression made daily on his 



10 INDIAN REMINISCENCES, 

mind became stronger and stronger. And in 
consequence of having resisted this call, from a 
sense of his own insufficiency, the agitations of 
his mind so affected his body, that he was thrown 
into a severe fit of sickness. During his illness, 
and as he was recovering, he resolved, with 
God's help, that, should the Lord restore him, 
he would attempt the work which he believed it 
his duty to perform. When he thoroughly re- 
covered, he firmly resolved to go, provided he 
would be enabled to pay some debts he had con- 
tracted before he experienced religion. This he 
was soon enabled to do, and commenced prepar- 
ing to take his journey. He opened his mind on 
the subject to several members of the Church, 
but they generally viewed his impressions as 
merely imaginary. From this source he there- 
fore either met with no encouragement, or with 
repulse. Here his difficulties again increased. 
And though he was convinced he must go, yet 
he had no person or Church authority to send 
him. The quarterly meeting conference justly 
enough supposed that the hazard was too great 
for them to venture any particular interference. 
At length he conversed with a certain class 
leader, one of his confidents, on the subject, 
and the leader gave him the following wise ad- 
vice : — "Your impressions and sense of duty are 
so peculiar, that no Church authority can act just 
now in your case. But as you verily believe it 
is your duty to go somewhere north-west, and 
preach to the Indians, obey what you esteem to 
be the command of God. And probably you 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. It 

may not be able to decide the question or ease 
your mind in any other way, than to attempt the 
work by commencing your journey." The 
leader and he prayed together, and being thus 
recommended to the grace of God by this pious 
man, he came to the determination to make the 
attempt. 

Accordingly he commenced his journey. He 
had no purse, nor money to put in it, and had no 
clothes but those on his back, and these were of 
coarse material and somewhat worn. He had 
no license, permit or recommendation from any 
Church authority. He had no one to wish him 
God speed but the class leader. No large as- 
semblies convened to hear speeches, make col- 
lections, or to join in prayer for him. The whole 
Methodist Episcopal Church was in a profound 
midnight sleep in regard to Indian missions, 
when John Steward, the coloured man, with his 
staff on his shoulder, to the end of which was 
tied the little coarse handkerchief or knapsack, 
which contained a couple of halfworn shirts, 
and a couple of thread-bare socks, none of which 
were ever after washed, except when, on his 
journey, or at Sandusky, he washed them with 
his own hands, without soap or smoothing, nor 
were they repaired by new ones — with his Tes- 
tament, also, in one pocket, and his hymn book 
in the other — a small supply of bread and meat 
too made a part of his outfit. John Steward, 
the coloured man, thus set out from Marietta, not 
knowing whither he was going, except toward, 
the north-west. Methinks I still see the picture 



12 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

which he gave of his departure, when we con- 
versed on this subject, in the fall of 1822. He 
proceeded from the town toward the north-west, 
leaving Zanesville on the left, sometimes follow- 
ing a road, when he thought it was in the right 
direction ; at other times travelling in the path- 
less woods. When he supposed he was too far 
to the east, he inclined toward the west, and 
when he thought he was too far toward the 
west, he inclined more toward the east. Some- 
times he would stop in the woods, pray to his 
heavenly Father, sing a hymn or two, or seat 
himself on a log, and read in his Testament. 
Thus he proceeded until he came to the Dela- 
ware Indians on the Tuscarawas River, at Go- 
shen. These were the shattered remains of those 
who were so inhumanly butchered during the 
last war. They were murdered in cool blood, 
in the most barbarous manner, while at their de- 
votions. They were Moravians. They received 
him kindly. He preached for them and remained 
several days among them. He told the minister 
of his call, who exhorted him to obey it. Stew- 
ard thought, at first, that he had arrived at the 
end of his journey, but after he was there a few 
days, he believed that he must still proceed 
farther ; that this was not the place where he 
was called to labour, and that there was yet 
some place north-west where he must go. 

While at Goshen, Steward learned that there 
were Indians north-west of that place. He there- 
fore determined to set out to find them. He had 
already travelled about 80 or 100 miles. The 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 13 

distance still before him was about one hundred 
miles, and for the most part uninhabited, or at 
least very thinly. He proceeded on his journey 
as before. When he thought he was too far to 
the east, he took a more westwardly course, and 
when he found he was too far to the west, he 
changed his course more to the east. He lay 
several nights in the woods. Toward the head 
waters of the Mohican or Killbuck creek, he 
providentially found a welcome lodging with a 
pious class leader, who encouraged him much, 
and replenished his knapsack with a fresh sup- 
ply of bread and meat. They spent a good part 
of the night in prayer, and Steward left his 
roof much encouraged to fill his mission. Some, 
whom he met, endeavoured to dissuade him from 
his undertaking, by informing him that the In- 
dians could not be converted, and if they could, 
he could never be the instrument of their con- 
version. But these things did not move him : he 
still pursued his journey as before, until he ar- 
rived at Pipetown, on the Sandusky River, where 
a part of the Delaware Indians reside. It should 
also be remarked that during this journey he 
never omitted any opportunity of preaching, 
conversing with people on the subject of reli- 
gion, or praying with them in the families where 
he stopped. When he entered a cabin in the 
wilderness, he had no money to offer them for 
entertainment : his only resource was, to declare 
the errand on which he was going, which, by 
the way, was not a popular one among the early 
settlers of Ohio. Yet his candid tone of sin- 



"1:4 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

cerity, as well as the good hand of God over 
him, generally obtained for him a kind reception. 
They who go on God's errands will find some 
way to enable them to prosecute them. 

When he arrived at Pipetown, he was con- 
ducted to one of the Indian cabins, and was cor- 
dially received. This was in October, and on 
the day in which they were gathering in, and 
husking their corn ; after the completion of 
which they must have a great dance. He told 
them he was sent by the Great Spirit to teach 
them. This they rather called in question, but 
promised to give him a hearing when they would 
finish their dance. They commenced by setting 
up the war whoop, and then they proceeded to the 
dance, which they performed with great agility, 
Steward being seated in the midst. They danced 
and frisked around him, sometimes brandishing 
their tomahawks close to his head and face, as 
if to cleave his skull, yet dexterously missing 
him, and touching or grazing only the hair of 
his head, or skin of his face; at other times 
they would point their butcher knives at him, 
and make a thrust at him, as if to kill him ; yet, 
carefully missing their mark ; at first he became 
somewhat afraid, but immediately recalling him- 
self, he composedly kept his seat, felt no fear, 
and after a little took his hymn book from his 
bosom, selected a hymn, for the purpose of sing- 
ing it when they were done dancing. This cir- 
cumstance called a halt in their movements, so 
that in a short time they got through their 
dance, and all became perfectly composed. He 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 15 

immediately commenced singing his hymn. All 
were silent while he sung ; and when he got 
through that hymn, one said in English, Sing 
more. He complied, and then inquired for an 
interpreter : an old Delaware, named Lyons, in- 
terpreted for him while he preached, or, as he 
said himself, talked to them about religion, out of 
his New Testament. The Indians listened atten- 
tively, and when he had finished, they gave him 
the best entertainment they had, and he occu- 
pied such a bed as they use themselves, i. e. the 
floor, with a blanket wrapped around him. 



REMINISCENCE II. 

Steward continued — Departure from Pipetown and 
arrival at Sandusky — His reception at Mr. Walker's — 
Journey to Jonathan's — First preaching among the 
Wyandots — Fulfilment of his dream. 

We have already seen that the Delawares 
listened attentively to Steward's sermon, at the 
close of which they gave him the best entertain- 
ment, as to victuals and lodging, of which they 
were possessed. He now supposed he had filled 
up his mission, and accordingly determined to 
return to Marietta, and from thence proceed to 
Tennessee, to visit his relations. In the morn- 
ing his impression of going northwest returned 
with renewed force ; and though the Delawares 
urged him to continue longer with them, and 
though he was also strongly inclined to visit his 
friends in Tennessee, yet the more powerful im- 



16 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

pression of duty urging him to go farther had the 
dominancy. Accordingly he proceeded on his 
journey, and soon arrived at Upper Sandusky, 
at the house of Mr. William Walker, the United 
States' sub-agent, and interpreter for the nation. 
At first he was suspected to be a runaway slave, 
and was on that account narrowly questioned. 
Steward declared to them he was a free man, 
and that he was sent of God to preach the Gos- 
pel to Indians somewhere northwest of Marietta, 
from whence he came ; that he had visited the 
Indians on the Tuscarawas river, and those at 
Pipetown ; but these were not the Indians to 
whom he was sent, and he came to Sandusky 
for the purpose of finding them, as he thought 
the Wyandots were those to whom his mission 
called him to go. He also informed Mr. Walker 
that he had been a very wicked man, but that he 

was brouorht from darkness to light. He de- 
cs o 

Glared to him what God had done for his soul. 
He sung hymns, prayed with them, and read in 
the Testament, which he took out of his pocket. 
The family, as Isaac Walker informed me, en- 
tertained a favourable opinion of his sincerity ; 
but they supposed, though a good man, that he 
was a mistaken man ; and though they declined 
interpreting for him, they treated him kindly, 
and directed him to go to Jonathan Pointer, the 
coloured man, who, they said, would interpret for 
him. Jonathan lived about eight miles from Mr. 
Walker's, in an out-of-the-way place, to which 
there was no direct road or trail, only that it was 
still northwest. He proceeded to Jonathan's, 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 17 

and though it would appear impossible for a 
stranger to find it, yet he went toward the 
direction in which it was, and exactly hit upon 
the house, which was situated in a hollow place, 
at a distance of several miles from any other. 
When Jonathan ascertained his errand, he en- 
deavoured to dissuade him from the undertaking, 
telling him that many wise and learned men had 
already, to no purpose, preached to the Indians. 
Still Steward persisted in declaring that he had 
a message from God to them, and that he must 
deliver it. 

" Finding that Jonathan was preparing to 
attend a feast which was appointed to be cele- 
brated on that day. Steward asked liberty to 
accompany him, to which Jonathan quite re- 
luctantly consented. A large number of Indians 
being collected together, the feast and dance 
were conducted as usual on such occasions, with 
great mirth and hilarity. Permission being 
granted, at the close of the amusement, Steward, 
through the agency of Jonathan, delivered to 
the Wyandots a discourse on the subject of 
Christianity, dwelling principally on its experi- 
mental and practical effects upon the heart and 
life. They listened with profound attention to 
what he delivered, and then gave him their 
hands, in token of hospitality to a stranger. 

" He made an appointment for meeting the 
next day at the house of Jonathan, the inter- 
preter ; but how surprised and disappointed was 
he to find, instead of a large assembly, only one 
old woman. Not disheartened at this, Steward, 
2 



18 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

imitating his Lord and Master, who preached to 
the woman of Samaria, preached the Gospel to 
her as faithfully as if there had been hundreds 
present to hear him. The next day his congre- 
gation was increased by the addition of one old 
man. To these two he preached with such suc- 
cess, that they both became sincere and genu- 
ine converts to the Christian faith. 

*' The next day, being Sunday, eight or ten 
assembled in the council house, who seemed 
much affected under his sermon, and a work of 
reformation commenced, which terminated in 
the conversion of many. This was in the month 
of November, 1816. Steward continued his 
labours, visiting the families from cabin to cabin, 
talking, singing, and praying with them, and 
preaching to them on Sabbaths in the council 
house. Very soon large crowds flocked to the 
meetings, and such was the deep concern mani- 
fested for the salvation of their souls, that for a 
season they almost entirely neglected their secu- 
lar affairs. This gave occasion for the merce- 
nary traders residing among them to speak re- 
proachfully of Steward, and to accuse him of 
being instrumental of starving the Indians, by 
preventing them from hunting, &c. ; but it was 
very manifest that the true reason of their op- 
position was, ' that their craft was in danger.' 
But although they threatened him with impris- 
onment if he did not desist, he gave them prac- 
tical evidence of a determination to persevere in 
his labours, regardless of all consequences." — 
Bangs' History of Missions. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 19 

A principal difficulty arose to Steward from 
the hardened state of Jonathan, his interpreter, 
who, though he interpreted faithfully whatever 
the other uttered, yet would sometimes add, 
" So he says, but I do not know whether it is so 
or not, nor do I care. All I mind is to interpret 
faithfully what he says. You must not think 
that I care whether you believe it or not." Yet 
interpreting was made the means of his con- 
viction. He soon became much alarmed in the 
act of interpreting. While Steward would be 
uttering his sentence, he would be meditating his 
escape before it would be his turn to speak ; yet 
the idea of leaving the preacher, and by this 
means disappointing the hearers, who were now 
numerous and much affected, pre vented him from 
running away from the word of the Lord. Jo- 
nathan became a convert to Christianity, and 
was afterward, apparently, hearty in the work. 
He was certainly an excellent interpreter, of 
whom, as such, a few words may be said at a 
future time. 

One other circumstance that occurred in one 
of the first meetings held by Steward among the 
Wyandots, is worthy of notice. While Steward 
and Pointer were seated together, and the con- 
gregation were assembling, an Indian man and 
woman came in, approached Steward, shook 
hands very cordially with him, and then took 
their seats in an orderly manner. When they 
had taken their seats Steward observed to Point- 
er, I saw that man and woman before. No, 
said the other, you certainly never saw them 



20 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

before this evening. I am sure, said Steward, I 
saw them before, for their countenances are fami- 
liar to me, as well as their manner of walking, 
sitting, and acting. It is impossible, said Point- 
er, for you to know them, as you were never in 
any place where they were, and therefore you 
are certainly mistaken. Then Steward observed 
to him, This is the man and woman whom I saw 
in my dream before I left Marietta ; and I 
know, from the deep impression made on my 
mind, that these two persons are just like those 
I saw in my dream. I give this narrative pre- 
cisely as Steward gave it to me. The thing is 
somewhat strange and curious, and would not be 
worth mentioning were it not that it is connected 
with matters of importance. This circumstance 
was an encouragement to this devoted man, 
when opening the door of faith to the Wyandot 
nation. One cannot, in this place, avoid think- 
ing of the following passage of Scripture : — 
Acts xvi, 6-12, '* Now, when they had gone 
throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, 
and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach 
the word in Asia ; after they were come to My- 
sia, they assayed to go into Bithynia : but the 
Spirit suffered them not. And they, passing by 
Mysia, came down to Troas. And a vision ap- 
peared to Paul in the night : there stood a man 
of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying. Come 
over into Macedonia and help us. And after he 
had seen the vision, immediately we endeav- 
oured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering, 
that the Lord had called us for to preach the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 21 

Gospel unto them. Therefore, loosing from 
Troas, we came with a straight course to Sa- 
mothracia, and the next day to Neapolis, and 
from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city 
of that part of Macedonia, and a colony ; and 
we were in that city abiding certain days." — 
This man and woman were among the first con- 
verts to Christianity in the nation. Both of them 
became stable Christians, and, I think, have 
finished their course with joy. 



REMINISCENCE 111 

Licensing of John Steward to preach. 

Perhaps the partiality of the author for the 
Wyandot Indians may lead him to bestow too 
much attention to their history. If in this he 
errs, the error is an honest one. The fact 
that John Steward was licensed to preach was 
formerly mentioned. Brother Brockunier, in 
the following letter, gives the circumstances that 
were connected with it. These are perfectly 
novel. He was recommended by the chiefs, the 
interpreter y and some white brethren, who had 
visited Sandusky. The Indians, of course, ad- 
dressed the conference by an interpreter — 
which, though new, must have been uncom- 
monly interesting and striking. 

Dear Brother : — As the rise and progress 
of Christianity among the aborigines of our 
country, and especially among the Wyandots, 



22 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

has been a subject of much interest to the re- 
ligious world, it may not be amiss to give your 
numerous readers a short account of the inter- 
esting scene which I witnessed in the winter 
of eighteen hundred and eighteen, in the town 
of Urbana, Ohio ; which was the time that 
John Steward, a man of colour, received license 
as a preacher of the Gospel in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. If my memory serves me, 
Steward was accompanied by two Indian chiefs, 
and Mr. Walker, an interpreter, from Upper 
Sandusky, a distance of forty miles, to attend a 
quarterly meeting for Mad River circuit. Rev. 
Moses Crume was presiding elder ; Rev. John 
Strange, preacher in charge ; with a number 
of local preachers, stewards, and leaders, who 
composed the quarterly conference. Steward 
was presented as a proper person to receive li- 
cense among us. Being invited forward by the 
presiding elder, to answer to those important 
questions generally proposed to candidates, he 
gave us a relation of his religious experience, 
and the exercises of his mind on the important 
work of the ministry. 

He told us that, through the instrumentality 
of the Methodist ministry, he was awakened 
and converted to God, and joined the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in Marietta ; where he also 
had obtained a regular license, as an exhorter, 
(producing, at the same time, his license, and a 
certificate of his former standing.) He also in- 
formed us that he had a remarkable dream, in 
which he dreamed he was about to commence a 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 23 

meeting, and at which time there came in an 
Indian man and woman, who shook hands with 
him in a friendly manner, and invited him to 
go and preach to their people who lived north- 
west from Marietta. This dream made such an 
impression on his mind, that he had no rest, by 
night or day, until he consented to go in search 
of the red men of the forest. He finally started 
on his journey, called at several Indian villages, 
but their inhabitants not answering the descrip- 
tion of those Indians whom he saw in his dream, 
he continued his journey north-westward, un- 
til he came to Upper Sandusky. At this time 
there was a general meeting of the Wyandots, 
at one of their festivities or dances. As soon as 
he saw them, he felt satisfied that these were 
the people to whom the Lord had sent him. 
He also gave us an account of the success he 
had among them, in the conversion of some of 
the chiefs and others of the Wyandots. 

After having given sufficient satisfaction, he 
retired : Between-the-Logs, one of the chiefs, 
was then called on to represent his brother 
Steward. He commenced telling us how and 
when Steward came among them ; that their 
nation was engaged in one of those feasts or 
dances, and that Steward proposed to preach or 
talk to them about religion ; to which they had 
some objection, but finally consented. He then 
spoke to them, (through Jonathan Pointer, the 
interpreter,) on the subject of Christianity, as 
to its experimental and practical influence on 
the hearts and lives of men. At the close of his 



34 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

address he appointed a meeting the next day at 
Jonathan's house. When the time came only 
one woman attended, and he preached or talked 
to her on the subject of religion. The next day 
he held another meeting, when an additional old 
man attended. The third day being the Sab- 
bath, a number came out to hear Steward about 
this new religion. Thus he continued, from 
time to time, to hold meetings, &lc. 

Between-the-Logs also told us, that he and 
his nation were much opposed to this new re- 
ligion, and that they liked the religion of their 
fathers much the best. But he finally told us, 
that the Great Spirit had given him to see and 
feel that their old religion was not a good one. 
Laying his hand on his breast, and lifting his 
eyes toward heaven, while tears flowed copi- 
ously down his red face, he said, I sought and 
found this new religion, which makes my soul 
happy. This circumstance so deeply affected 
a large and intelligent quarterly conference, 
that we felt more like praising God for his 
wonderful goodness to the red men of the for- 
est, than to proceed in business. 

Mononcue next arose, and gave us a repre- 
sentation of Steward and the work of religion 
among them, nearly the same as was given by 
Between-the-Logs, with this difference, he was 
more eloquent, and introduced several striking 
figures to illustrate the great moral change 
among them. 

Mr. Walker, the sub-agent and interpreter 
of the Wyandots, next arose, and confirmed the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 25 

Statements made by the chiefs; and added, that 
he believed Steward was a good man, and if 
licensed and encouraged would be a blessing to 
the nation. 

There were also several of our local brethren 
present, who had been at Sandusky, who spoke 
in high terms of Steward. I think there was 
not one present but was of opinion, that God, in 
the order of his providence, had called this man 
of colour to minister in holy things to these be- 
nighted people of Sandusky. 

His future success and happy death gave 
abundant evidence that his brethren were not 
mistaken in their unanimous vote, at the time 
he received his license. S. R. Brockunier, 

Allegheny toiv?iy Sept. 17, 1834. 



REMINISCENCE IV. 

Steward continued — Opposition from Catholic pre- 
judices — Another objection raised — Opposition from 
the chiefs Hicks and Mononcue — Their speeches — 
Several chiefs converted — Speech of Between-the-Logs 
— Low state of Steward's health — His death — Vindi- 
cation of his character. 

It may be proper to notice that the greater 
part of the Wyandots had been instructed in 
the Roman Catholic religion. This proved a 
particular hindrance in the way of Steward ; 
but, through the blessing of God, he was enabled 
to overcome it. The following extract from 
Bangs' History of Missions will show both the 



26 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

difficulties and the triumph of the Wyandot 
apostle : — 

" The following circumstance contributed not 
a little, in its result, to confirm the wavering faith 
of such as doubted of Steward's sincerity; as 
well as to confound many of his open enemies. 
When he also boldly denounced the peculiari- 
ties of the Church of Rome, and taught doc- 
trines so different from what they had been 
taught by the Romish priest, they concluded that 
there must be a discrepancy between his Bible 
and that used by the priests. To decide this 
question, it was, by mutual agreement, submit- 
ted to Mr. Walker, the sub-agent. He accord- 
ingly appointed a day for the examination. 
Steward and the chiefs appeared before him. 
Many being present of both parties, and all 
deeply interested in the issue, a profound silence 
reigned in the assembly. Mr. Walker careful- 
ly examined the Bible and hymn book used by 
Steward, while all eyes were fixed on him : the 
Christian party gazing with intense interest, 
hoping for a result favourable to their desires, 
and the others no less anxious to be confirmed 
in their opposition to Steward and his party. 
At length the examination closed. Mr. Walker 
informed the assembly that the only difference 
between the Bible used by Steward and the one 
used by the Roman priests was, that the former 
was in the English language, and the latter in 
Latin ; and as to the hymn book, he informed 
them that the hymns it contained were all good, 
the subjects having been taken from the Bible. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 27 

and that they breathed the spirit of religion. 
His decision, therefore, was that the Bible was 
genuine, and the hymns good. On hearing this 
decision, the countenances of the Christian 
party instantly lighted up with joy, and their 
very souls exulted in God their Saviour, while 
their opposers stood abashed. During the 
whole transaction. Steward sat calm and tran- 
quil, fixing his eyes upon the assembly with an 
affectionate regard, as if fully conscious that 
truth and innocence would triumph. 

" Being foiled in this unrighteous attempt to 
interrupt the progress of the work of reforma- 
tion, they next objected to Steward that he had 
no authority from any body of Christians to 
preach. To this Mr. Walker replied by asking 
them whether he had ever performed the rite 
of matrimony or of baptism. Being answered 
in the negative, he told them that there was no 
law, either of God or man, violated, as anyone 
had a right to talk about religion, and try to 
persuade others to embrace it. He then dis- 
missed the assembly, who * had great reasoning 
among themselves' concerning these things. 
Steward, however, Avas permitted to prosecute 
his labours with but little opposition for about 
three months, when he proposed leaving them 
for a season. Accordingly he gave them a fare- 
well discourse in the council house. At this time 
there was a universal weeping, such was their 
ardent attachment to the man who had been in- 
strumental in leading them to the knowledge of 
the true God, and Jesus Christ whom he had sent. 



28 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Promising them to come back ' when the corn 
should shoot,' he made a journey to Marietta. 
During his absence they continued their meet- 
ings for singing, prayer, and exhortation, and 
religion prospered ; so that, on his return, at 
the appointed time, he was hailed by the Chris- 
tian party with great joy and cordiality." 

Steward was also much opposed by two or 
three of the chiefs of the nation. As speci- 
mens of this opposition, we give the following 
speeches of John Hicks and Mononcue, which 
they made in the public congregation, after 
Steward had preached. To the speeches he 
replied in a triumphant refutation, which he 
could not furnish from any other source, except 
such as is spoken of in the following passage 
of Holy Scripture : — " Settle it therefore in your 
hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall 
answer ; for I will give you a mouth and wis- 
dom, which all your adversaries shall not be 
able to gainsay nor resist," — Luke xxi, 14, 15. 

John Hicks said, in substance, " I feel my- 
self called upon to defend the religion of my 
fathers, which the Great Spirit has given to his 
red children to regulate their faith, and which 
we shall not abandon as soon as you might 
wish, because we are contented with it, as suit- 
ed to our condition, and adapted to our capaci- 
ties. Cast your eyes abroad over the \vorld, 
and see how many different systems of religion 
there are in it, almost as many as there are na- 
tions — and is not this the work of the Lord ? 
No, my friend, your declaiming so violently 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 29 

against our modes of worshipping the Great 
Spirit, in my opinion, is not calculated to ben- 
efit us as a nation. We are willing to receive 
good advice from you ; but we are not willing 
to have the customs and institutions which have 
been kept sacred by our fathers, and handed 
down to us, thus assailed and abused." 

After this, Mononcue, another chief, arose 
and said, " I also have a few words to add to 
what my friend, who has just taken his seat, 
has said, I. doubt not but that you state faith- 
fully what your book says ; but let me correct 
an error into which you appear to have run, 
which is, your belief that the Great Spirit de- 
signed that his red children should be instructed 
out of it. This is a mistake; as He never in- 
tended that we should be instructed from a 
book which properly belongs only to those who 
made it, and can understand what it says. It is 
a plant that cannot grow and flourish among 
red people. Let me call your attention to an- 
other fact : Where did the Son of God first 
make his appearance ? According to your book, 
he first made his appearance away in the east, 
.among the white people, and we never heard 
of his name until white people themselves told 
us. And what if we had never seen a white 
man 1 We never should have heard this new 
doctrine. The Son of God came among white 
people, and preached to them, and left his 
words written in a book, that when he was 
gone they might read and learn his will respect- 
ing them ; but he left no book for Indians ; and 



30 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

why should he, seeing we red people know noth- 
ing about books? If it had been the will of 
the Great Spirit that we should be instructed 
from this book, he would have provided some 
way for us to understand the art of making and 
reading the books that contain the words. 
Ours is a religion that suits us red people, and 
we intend to preserve it sacred among us, be- 
lieving that the Great Spirit gave it to our 
grandfathers in ancient days." 

However, by the patience and perseverance 
of Steward, Between-the-Logs, Mononcue, 
Hicks, and others, were converted in senti- 
ment, heart, and life, to the Christian religion, 
and they became powerful assistants to our 
missionary. The Christian fortitude and per- 
severance of Steward will appear to advantage 
from the following extract of a speech of Be- 
tween-the-Logs, at a quarterly meeting, held 
Nov. 13th and 14th, in the year 1819, for Mad 
River circuit, about forty miles from Sandusky. 
The chief details the progress of religion among 
the Wyandots. He shows how they were de- 
ceived by the Roman priest, the Shawnee 
prophet and the Seneca prophet : he then pro- 
ceeds to describe how they were brought to a 
knowledge of experimental religion, through 
the instrumentality of Steward : — 

" By this time we began to think that our own 
religion was a great deal the best, and we made 
another trial to establish ourselves in it, and had 
made some progress. Then the war broke out 
between our father, the president, and King 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 31 

George, and our nation was for war, and every 
man wanted to be big man. Then we drink 
whisky and fight, and when the war was ended 
we were all scattered, and many killed. The 
chiefs then thought that they would try to gath- 
er the nation once more, and we had got a great 
many together — then a black man. Steward, 
our brother here, came to us, and said he was 
sent by our Great Father to tell us the good 
way ; but we thought he was like all the rest, 
and wanted to cheat us, and get out money and 
land. He told us of all our sins, and showed 
us what was ruining us, drinking whisky, and 
that the Great Spirit was angry with us, and 
that we must quit all these things. But we 
treated him ill, and gave him little to eat, and 
trampled on him, (so now we are sure if the 
Great Spirit had not sent him he could not 
have withstood our treatment,) and were still 
jealous of him until we had tried him a whole 
year. About this time our father (the presi- 
dent) counselled us to buy our land, and we had 
to go to the great city to see him ; and when 
we came home, our old preacher was still with 
us, and he told us the same things, and we could 
find no alteration in him. About this time he 
talked of going away to leave us, to see his 
friends ; and our squaws told us that we were 
fools to let him go, for the great God had sent 
him, and that we ought to adopt him. But still 
we wanted to wait longer. But they told us 
what God had done for them by this man ; so 
we attended his meeting in the council house, 



32 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

and the Great Spirit came upon us, so that some 
cried aloud, some clapped their hands, and some 
ran, and some were mad. Now we held our 
meetings sometimes all night, singing and pray- 
ing. By this time we knew that God had sent 
our brother unto us ; so we adopted him, and 
gave him mothers and children. Then we went 
to the great camp meeting, at Lebanon, and 
were very happy. Then as soon as this work 
was among us at Sandusky, almost every week 
or two, more preachers came, and told us that 
they loved us, and would take us and our 
preacher under their care, and give us schools, 
and do all for us we wanted. But we thought 
if they love Indians so, why not go to the Sene- 
cas and Mohawks ? We have got our preacher. 
Some told us, now we believed, we must be 
baptized all over in the water ;* and now great 
anxiety for them : but before our brother came, 
care nothing about us. Now we are many of 
us trying to do good, and are happy. We have 
found no change in our brother Steward ; but 
the others that come, some of them, when our 
young Indians will not hear and mind them, get 
mad and scold, so that we still think our brother 
is the best man, though we have many oppose 
us, and this night I mean to tell it all out. Some 
whites that live among us, and can talk our lan- 
guage, say the Methodists bewitch us, and that 
it is all nothing but the work of the devil, and all 

* I was told that one of the Indians answered and 
said, " God made water to drink, not to drown people 
in." 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 33 

that they want is to get you tamed, and then 
kill you, as they have done the Moravian In- 
dians on the Tuscarawas river. I told them, 
if we were to be killed, it was time for us to be 
praying. Some white people put bad things in 
the minds of our wicked young Indians, and 
thereby make our way rough." 

In the fall and winter of 1822-23, when I 
was acquainted with this devoted man, his health 
was much impaired, and he showed every symp- 
tom of a man whose race was nearly finished. 
We will quote, from Dr. Bangs' History of 
Missions, an account of his latter end ; after 
which we will attempt to give a character of him 
as a Christian, a man, and a missionary : — 

" In the autumn of this year, 1823, Steward, 
to whom this mission had been so much indebt- 
ed for its present prosperity, appeared to be fast 
declining in health, and it soon became mani- 
fest to his friends that he would not long con- 
tinue with them. Worn down by excessive la- 
bours, and enfeebled by disease, in the month 
of September his sufferings were quite severe ; 
but he endured them patiently, as ' seeing Him 
who is invisible,' and looking for the ' recom- 
pense of reward,' He continued, however, to 
linger along the shore of mortality until De- 
cember 17th, 1823, when, in the 37th year of 
his age, and the seventh of his labours in this 
missionary field, after exhorting his affectionate 
wife to faithfulness, he fell asleep in Jesus, and 
no doubt rested from his labours. 

" In the life and labours of this man we have 
3 



34 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

another striking illustration of that declaration 
of the apostle, that God chooses ' the foolish 
things of the world to confound the wise' — and 
the weak things of the world to confound the 
things that are mighty. That this coloured man, 
uneducated, almost alone and friendless, should 
be called to ' come out from his kindred,' to go 
to a people that he knew not, ' of a strange lan- 
guage,' in the manner before described ; that he 
should succeed in awakening such attention to 
the things of Christianity among a people so 
.strongly wedded to their heathenish customs, or 
attached to the mummeries of a fallen Church ; 
and finally bring so many of them to the ' knowl- 
edge of the truth as it is in Jesus ;' cannot I 
think be accounted for, otherwise than by ac- 
knowledging the Divine hand guiding him in 
all these things, and giving sanction to his la- 
bours. It would seem, therefore, as if God de- 
signed by this method of procedure to give such 
a stamp to the work that ' no one should glory 
in man,' but that the ' excellency of the power 
miaht be of God.' "* 



* It having been reported by some who wish to tar- 
nish the reputation of those to whom the charge of this 
mission was committed, that Steward was treated with 
neglect, and was left to provide for himself, the follow- 
ing facts have been furnished the writer from an au- 
thentic source. When the charge of the mission was 
committed to Mr. Finley, he was instructed to provide 
for the temporal wants of Steward, which he faithfully 
did as far as practicable, furnishing him with food and 
money, even offering more than Steward thought it 
expedient to accept '-^st he might excite the jealousy 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 35 

REMINISCENCE V. 

Character of Steward. 

He was a mulatto, of a tall and slender, yet 
comely form. He was without ostentation or 
display, yet courteous in his manners. 

illspiet?/ was of that deep and solid character 
as to have a controlling effect upon himself, and 
always made a powerful impression in his favour, 
not only on his acquaintances, but also on those 
who saw or observed him for the first time. 
Being thoroughly awakened to a sense of his 
lost state, by the Spirit of God, he was prepar- 
ed to receive the grace of remission, and the 
witness of it, as the pearl of inestimable value, 
to be prized and preserved above all things. 

Patience ^nd fortitude were striking features 
of his character. Consider the fortitude that 

of others. In addition to seventy dollars paid him by 
Mr. Finley, Bishop M'Kendree collected one hundred 
dollars for his use, and about fifty acres of land were 
secured to him, on which a cabin was built for his ac- 
commodation, and here he lived until his death, and it 
was then inherited by his brothers, who have since sold 
it for two hundred dollars. Those things are mention- 
ed only with a view to correct the erroneous statements 
which have been circulated. Steward, indeed, justly 
deserved, and has received the gratitude of the Wyan- 
dots, and of all the friends of the aboriginal missions. 
There is no necessity, therefore, to detract from the 
well-earned fame of others in order to exalt liis. His 
name will ever be associated, however humble and ob- 
scure his origin, with the benefactors of mankind, and 
more especially with the pioneers of Indian missions. 



36 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

was necessary for him, in order to muster cour- 
age enough to leave Marietta, and set out on 
the perilous undertaking of a missionary to sav- 
ages, unauthorized by the Church of which he 
was a member, discouraged by almost all, and 
encouraged by none except an obscure class- 
leader. How much patience was required to 
go moneyless among strangers, and unprotected 
among savages ! And after he was actually en- 
gaged in his missionary work, he had many 
difficulties to encounter. Some of the most 
influential chiefs opposed him in form. His 
interpreter, at first, informed his hearers, that 
he did not believe what Steward said, although 
he interpreted faithfully for him. When ab- 
sent on a visit to Marietta, he was grossly slan- 
dered. The national prejudices of the Indians 
were in the way. They think their God is 
distinguished from the God of white men by 
his colour and dress; they made feasts for the 
sick, and offered sacrifices for them ; their be- 
lief in witches cost many valuable lives, and to 
oppose it was attended with danger ; drunken- 
ness predominated ; marriage was disregarded, 
or had no existence. These and a great many 
other hinderances were in the way, and against 
them our missionary had to contend, which he 
did on all occasions without the least compro- 
mise. 

But his patience and fortitude were equalled 
only by the perseverance which he manifested 
in exercising these virtues. It may justly be 
said of him that he continued in well doing. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 37 

Hear what Between-the-Logs says of him : " He 
told us of all our sins, and showed us what was 
ruining us, drinking whisky, and that the Great 
Spirit was angry with us, and that we must quit 
all these things. But we treated liim ill, and 
gave him little to eat, and trampled on him, (so 
now we are sure that if the Great Spirit had not 
sent him he could not have withstood our treat- 
ment,) and were still jealous of him until we had 
tried him a whole year. About this time our 
father, the president, counselled us to buy our 
land, and we had to go to the great city to see 
him , and when we came home, our old preach- 
er was still with us, and he told us the same 
things, and we could find no alteration in him." 
His labour and self-denial were great. For 
two whole years he taught the Wyandots from 
house to house, and from camp to camp, without 
any human assistance either in temporals or 
spirituals, except now and then a temporary 
visit from some white preachers. By frequent 
watchings and fastings, and continued exertions 
in preaching, his health became impaired. The 
missionary who goes out equipped, and builds 
his house, and then occupies it furnished and 
supplied with all or most of the comforts of life, 
knows little of the privations or labours of 
Steward. He eat and drank, and slept as they 
did. He went in and out among them, follow- 
ed them in their hunting excursions, preached 
and taught, sung and prayed, comforted, ex- 
horted, and rebuked, as he went with them in 
their wanderings. No one, except an eye-wit- 



38 INDIAN REMINISCENCES, 

ness, can tell what he did and suffered during 
the two first years of his ministry. 

Although Steward was a man of good natural 
parts, his attainments were moderate. He 
could read and write intelligibly, he had read a 
few books, was as well acquainted with the 
world as the best informed of his colour. This 
is the amount of his attainments. He knew 
nothing of grammar, geography, or science; 
although he could speak readily, clearly, and 
forcibly, and in a better general style and man- 
ner than many a man who had all the advantages 
of the college and theological school. While 
the world lasts such men as he will be useful. 

But the most striking trait in his history is, 
that he was peculiarly owned and blessed of 
God. The presence and power of God were 
with him ; and as one sent of God he succeed- 
ed in the work whereunto he was called. From 
his native talent, and the grace of God which 
was with him, he spoke in a style and manner 
suitable to the ideas of Indians, which many 
men of high literary and theological attainments 
would attempt in vain, unless by a long and 
painful experience in adapting their discourses 
to the understanding of untutored men. 

He was therefore well qualified to plant in 
the field to which he was called to labour. His 
strong faith in God, his patience and persever- 
ance qualified him eminently to sow the seed 
among the red men. 

But though he was qualified to plant and 
sow, and, to a degree, assist afterward as a 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 39 

deacon or helper in the work of the ministry, 
he was not fitted to water, to build up the Church 
which himself had planted. Accordingly, dur- 
ing his ministry, before he was assisted by more 
experienced persons, there was no proper church 
organization, no regular church discipline ex- 
ercised, no plans of improvement for his new 
converts, other than the public exercises of re- 
ligion, with some inadequate attempts to reprove 
and exhort those that were becoming weary of 
well doing. In our opinion, then, the church 
which Steward planted needed the experience 
and superior knowledge of an abler minister to 
organize it more thoroughly, and regulate it by 
a wholesome discipline. The inference from 
this is clear, that a man may be called of God 
and qualified to plant churches, who may, at the 
same time, be unfit for governing and regulat- 
ing them to advantage ; but he may continue to 
be employed by the church as an important 
assistant to others ; or he may afterward arrive 
at the knowledge, experience, and prudence 
necessary to have rule in the church. Others 
may be qualified to take charge of churches, 
whose gifts are not well adapted to plant new 
ones. Much, however, depends on the field of 
labour, as well as upon the gifts of the labour- 
ers. Steward had the enviable honour of 
planting a church in a soil where few had the 
proper talents to succeed. But he was taught 
humility by seeing that same church placed 
under the watch-care of others ; although he 
was always after, in consideration of his quali- 



40 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

fications, employed as an assistant in the work 
of the ministry. 

He was no enthusiast. It is true, his friends 
and the church at Marietta could not venture, 
and very properly too, to sanction his professed 
call to the Indians toward the northwest ; yet 
they threw no impediments in his way. In this 
matter, however, Steward differed from all en- 
thusiasts. They, under the supposed influence 
of inspiration, look for the end without using 
the means. He used the means in order to 
obtain the end ; although he knew well, that 
it was God alone who could bless even the 
means to secure the end. 

He had a proper respect for church order 
and authority. Some, favoured of God as he 
was, would have set up a new church among 
those who had been brought to a knowledge 
of the truth through their instrumentality. Not 
so with him. He went to the nearest quarterly 
meeting conference, a distance of forty miles 
and more, and there, after being duly recom- 
mended and examined, was licensed to preach. 
Afterward, he cordially assisted the regularly 
appointed missionary, and his services were 
acceptable and useful. 



REMINISCENCE VI. 

The Marietta conference in August 1822, and the 
Wyandot delegation. 

At the Ohio conference, held in Marietta, in 
1822, three Wyandot chiefs, viz. Between-the- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 41 

Logs, Mononcue, and John Hicks, together with 
William Walker, Jr., as interpreter, attended, 
Bishops M'Kendree and George presided. The 
year previous Bro. Finley was missionary among 
the Wyandots ; but in consequence of ill health 
he could not return. The chiefs addressed the 
conference in an affecting and dignified manner, 
and were responded to by a very appropriate 
address, by the senior bishop. The addresses 
themselves will best show the state of things in 
the Wyandot nation at this time. They are as 
follow : — 

Between-the-Logs. — " Brothers, we have met 
here all in peaceful times, and feel happy to see 
you all well ; and your business seems to go on 
in good order and peace. This being the day 
appointed to hear us speak on the subject of our 
school and mission, which you have established 
among us, we think it proper to let you know 
that when our father, the president, sent to us to 
buy our land, and we all met at Fort Meigs, that 
it was proposed that we should have a school 
among us, to teach our children to read ; and 
many of the chiefs of our nation agreed that it 
was right, and it was a subject on which we 
ought to think : to this, after consulting, we all 
consented. But government has not yet sent us 
a teacher. Brothers, you have ; and we are 
glad and thankful the mission and school are in 
a prosperous way, and we think will do us much 
good to come. Many ministers of the Gospel 
have come to us in our land, who seemed to 
love us dearly, and offered to send us ministers 



42 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

and teachers to establish missions and schools 
among us ; but we always refused, expecting 
government would send us some, which they 
promised to do, and which was most consistent 
with the wishes of our chiefs : but when you 
sent our first brother to preach, we were pleased, 
and listened with attention. Then when you 
sent our good brother Finley, we rejoiced, for 
we all thought he was a good man, and loved 
our nation and children, and was always ready 
to do us good : and when he moved out, all our 
chiefs received him with joy, and our people 
were all very glad. Brothers, we are sorry to tell 
you that this is not so now. Since that time some 
of the chiefs have withdrawn their warm love, 
and this influences others to do so too. Brothers, 
they have not done as well as we expected, and 
we feel astonished at the conduct of our chiefs; 
they have backslidden. But there are some of 
us yet in favour of this mission, if the rest have 
gone backward ; and we wish to have the mis- 
sion and school also. Though the chiefs have 
mostly left us, yet there are four faithful ones 
among us," (viz. Between-the-Logs, Hicks, Mo- 
noncue. Peacock.) '' Brothers, we know the 
cause why they have withdrawn ; it was the 
words of the Gospel. Brothers, it is too sharp 
for them ; it cuts too close ; it cuts all the limbs 
of sin from the body, and they don't like it, but 
vve, (meaning the other four,) are all willing 
to have all the limbs of sin cut from our bodies, 
and live holy. We want the mission and school 
to go on, and we believe the Great God will not 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 43 

suffer them to fall through ; for, brothers, he is 
very strong, and this, brothers, is our great joy. 
The wicked, that do not like Jesus, raise up 
their hands, and do all they can to discourage 
and destroy the love of the little handful ; and 
with their lands they cover over the roots of 
wickedness. But, brothers, they may do all they 
can to stop it, the work will go on and prosper, 
for the Great God Almighty holds it up with his 
hands. When you placed brother Finley among 
us in our own country, we rejoiced ; and we have 
been much pleased with his living among us ever 
since. He is a plain man; he does not flatter 
our people; he preaches plain truth. He says 
to them, This is the way of life, and this is the 
way of damnation. Brothers, we suppose this is 
the reason why some have turned enemies to 
our brother ; but he pleases all those who are 
willing to serve God, and love his ways ; there- 
fore we have nothing to fear concerning the 
mission and school. They are built on a solid 
rock, and look like prospering. For our parts, 
we have no learning, and we are now getting 
old, and it is hardly worth our while to trouble 
ourselves about learning now ; but we want our 
children learned, and we hope our school and 
mission will do great good for them." 

Here Between-the-Logs stopped, and John 
Hicks arose and said, — " Brothers, I feel great 
thanks to our heavenly Father for keeping us 
and bringing us here. Not long ago one of my 
brethren asked me my opinion on the school : 
I told him I would send all my children, for the 



44 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

reason I stood in darkness and knew but little of 
God, and all I did know was dark ; so that I could 
not see clear. But I heard our brethren preach 
out of the good book of God, and the word 
waked up my mind, and cut my heart. Brothers, 
it brought me to pray, and seek, and love the 
Great God of heaven, and his ways. This is 
the reason I want my children to learn to read 
the great book of God, and understand it, and 
get religion, that they may be happy in this 
world, and the next. Brothers, I don't want to 
be long on the subject, but will let you know 
that I am of the same opinion with my brother 
that spake before me, with respect to our brother 
Finley. I hope he will still continue with us ; 
he has done us much good ; he has been the 
means of conv.erting souls ; so that many bad 
men became good men ; and very wicked sin- 
ners have turned to the Lord, and now keep his 
good word. May the Great Spirit keep him 
among us, and bless his labours." Then he took 
his seat, and brother Mononcue spoke as follows : 
'' Brothers, I have not much to say. You see 
us all here in good health and peace, for which 
we are thankful to God. You will not expect 
much from me on the subject of the mission and 
school, as my brothers have spoken before me 
all that is necessary. I wish just to say, we 
want our brother Finley still to live among us. 
For my part, last year I expected he would come 
among us, and it turned out so, and I was very 
glad, and I am still much pleased with him. 
The conference made a good choice ; it was our 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES- 45 

choice ; and the Good Spirit was pleased to give 
it us. He has a particular manner of teaching 
and preaching to us, different from other teach- 
ers who have been among us ; and God owns 
and blesses his labours. May he still go on and 
prosper. We want him among us still. I 
know that the words he spake are of God. — 
When he preaches I feel his truth in my heart, 
in my soul. O brothers I it makes my soul happy ; 
all of us want him with us ; his life among us is 
very useful, because it is straight. He was very 
industrious all the time he has been with us, and 
learns our people to work, and since he has 
left us, we have been lost, though it has been 
but a few days. We have felt as if our oldest 
brother was taken from us, and the place where 
he lived looked sorry. But what feelings of 
joy did we feel in our hearts when we met our 
brother at this place, and took him by the 
hand ! We thank the Almighty God who has 
spared our brother. The great objections our 
chiefs have against our brother Finley are : a 
coloured man that preached to us used to feed 
them on milk ; but our brother Finley fed them 
on meat : this was too strong for them, and so 
they will not eat. But those that want to love 
God and his ways could eat both milk and meat ; 
it does well with us, and we feel always hungry 
for more." After requesting the conference to 
employ a steady interpreter for the use of the 
school and Gospel, he sat down. 

Bishop 3!r Kendree replied in substance as fol- 
lows: — "We are glad — we are exceedingly joy- 



4G INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ful — to see this day ; for we have long been 
anxious to see the time when our brethren in the 
west would embrace religion. Our joy is abun- 
dantly increased when we see you face to face, 
and hear the Gospel from your own mouths. — 
We are well disposed toward you. In us you 
have real friends ; and you may be well assured 
that our kindness will be continued. We will 
make every exertion possible to educate and in- 
struct your children. These men (alluding to 
the conference) are not your only friends. You 
have many throughout the country, in general. 
In the great cities, the white people feel for the 
red brethren, and are forming societies to send 
them help. The Great Spirit has come, not 
only on the old men, but on the little children. 
In Baltimore there is a society formed for the 
purpose of sending help to educate your chil- 
dren. If you will stand by us, we will stand by 
you. We will unite with you in prayer for your 
success, and for the conversion of your breth- 
ren who have backslidden and left you ; and if 
you continue faithful, God will convince them, 
and they will return to you again. But in all 
this let us look up to God for success." 



REMINISCENCE VII. 

Journal — My appointment as missionary to Sandusky— 
Journey, and incidents on the way — Arrival. 

At the time of the meeting of the Marietta 
conference, in 1822, Indian missions in the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 47 

Methodist Episcopal Church were just com- 
mencinn-, and it was somewhat doubtful whether 
they would be crowned with success. Brother 
Finley's health prevented his return to the mis- 
sion. It was thought best, after consultation, 
that I should be the missionary for the ensuing 
year. When I came to conference, I had no 
expectation of going among the Indians. But, 
as it appeared proper for me to go, I did not 
think it right to confer with flesh and blood, but 
to go and preach the Gospel to these outcasts of 
men. Here I formed an acquaintance with the 
Wyandot chiefs, Between-the-Logs, Mononcue, 
and John Hicks. They exhorted and prayed in 
the congregation with excellent effect. When 
conference was over, I set out for Mercer coun- 
ty, by way of Pittsburg, in order to proceed im- 
mediately for Upper Sandusky. Arriving in 
Pittsburg after dark on Saturday evening, I 
spent the Sabbath here, very agreeably to my- 
self, (whether with profit to the people or not, 
God knoweth,) and then proceeded to Salem, 
Mercer county, where my family resided. 

Sept. 26, i8-22.— To-day, after a couple of 
days' preparation, we set out for Upper San- 
dusky, a distance of about two hundred miles. 
The feelings of the occasion were various, and 
the circumstances such as are common. There 
might, however, be this exception. There were 
no displays either of meetings, speeches, outfits, 
or the like. The individuals concerned were 
too humble in life and station to elicit these 
things. An Indian missionary, too, at that time, 



48 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

was not so honourable an appointment as it is 
now. Accompanied by one brother, who carried 
our little baggage in a small one-horse wagon, 
and ourselves mounted on two horses, the jour- 
ney was undertaken. Having travelled about 
four miles, our little vehicle upset. We set it 
upright immediately, fixed it somewhat better, 
drove more cautiously, and kept on our way, 
and spent the night at an old resting place for 
pilgrims, brother William Parish's. The next 
day brought us to Canfield. 

Sept. 28. — The morning and latter part of 
the night were wet ; but being anxious to get 
on our journey, we set out about eleven o'clock 
for Deerfield, seventeen miles distant, in order 
there to spend the Sabbath day. The reason 
of our haste was this : — The Rev. James B. 
Finley, presiding elder of the mission, and the 
Rev. Jacob Young, presiding elder of Lebanon 
district, were to be present at a quarterly meet- 
ing at the Indian station, to be held on the fifth 
and sixth of October, thus leaving us only six 
days to travel one hundred and sixty miles, most 
of the road being bad. As we travelled the rain 
increased. We proceeded, however, until we 
and our baggage were thoroughly drenched with 
rain, and stopped at a small cabin about eight 
miles from Deerfield. The man and woman of 
the house received us kindly ; we dried our- 
selves at the fire, got supper, slept soundly, rose 
early in the morning, got to Deerfield before 
meeting time, and there spent the remainder 
of the Sabbath. 



INDIAxN REMINISCENCES. 49 

Sept. 30. — To-day and yesterday, from the 
well-meant and undesigning observations of 
some very respectable friends, we had some tri- 
als. They were apprehensive that I and my 
wife would certainly be sick in that unhealthy 
country ; that our labours among the Indians 
would certainly be lost ; that, notwithstanding 
all the pains taken for them, they would still 
be Indians, and that their reformation was only 
possible, but very improbable. This was a cause 
of trouble to me, as I was for a moment led to 
think these things might be so ; but especially 
because it seemed almost entirely to deject my 
wife. We here found it necessary to encour- 
age ourselves by Gospel arguments. I observed, 
" that it appeared to me we were called to go 
there by the good providence of God ; we are 
in the way of duty ; the state of things, in my 
opinion, is not so unfavourable as it is repre- 
sented ; we will go and see how things are at 
Sandusky; every situation and every place has 
its advantages, trials, 6lc. ; God will take care 
of us, and clear the way before us." Thus we 
encouraged ourselves in our God. So we pro- 
ceeded on in the name of the Lord, who prom- 
ised to be with us. Through God even we 
shall be enabled to do valiantly. 

Oct. 1. — Travelled thirty miles from Canton 
to Wooster. 

Oct. 2 — Travelled thirty-two miles : the road 

being partly bad, we were forced to travel after 

dark till we arrived in Mansfield. We stopped 

at a tavern, and sat down in the bar-room be- 

4 



50 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

cause there was no other, among a company of 
swearers and drunkards. With difficulty we 
got supper at ten o'clock, 

Oct. 3. — To-day we travelled the worst road 
I ever saw. Five miles of it, called the black 
swamp, was indescribably bad. It was with 
the greatest difficulty we got through the deep 
mud and beech roots. After toiling all day, we 
made a journey of eighteen miles. In the eve- 
ning we came to a little cabin, where we were 
hospitably received by the inhabitants. We 
slept soundly on the floor all night. 

Oct. 4. — This morning we were within thir- 
ty miles of our journey's end, and were very 
desirous to get there. After travelling three 
miles, we came to a very dirty cabin, in which 
a large family, twice as dirty as the cabin itself, 
dwelt. We asked for breakfast, on which a 
neighbouring woman was sent for, in order to 
cook it for us. This family put me in mind of 
Horace's fancied description of the human race 
in their first and progressive stagey of maturity 
and improvement, from their first crawling out 
of the earth, '' mute ct turpc pecus,^^ a mute and 
vile flock. The old man strove to frighten us, 
by informing us that " the wolves would break 
into our houses and devour us, unless we had 
a dog to keep them off"," and confirmed the 
same by two or three oaths, having in view the 
sale of a young pup of the first-rate breed, as 
he said, for which he expected to obtain a large 
price from us. After this, we departed, and iu 
a short time got into the extensive plains of 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 51 

Sandusky. These are large extents of level 
ground, skirted with woods, interspersed with a 
tree here and there. The trees become more 
dense as the traveller approaches the woods, 
until he finally enters the close forest. There is a 
species of wild grass which grows in some places 
on these plains, which the inhabitants in the 
end of summer cut down for hay. Of this coarse 
provender, horses and cattle, unaccustomed to 
it, will scarcely eat ; but those which are rais- 
ed on these plains, and are used to such fare, 
feed greedily upon it in the severe part of the 
winter season. At other times, the range is 
so excellent in the new country, that the beasts 
leave their hay, corn, fodder, &c., to feed on 
the more delicious fare found in these plains, 
and in the neighbouring woods. These plains 
are divided from one another by narrow strips 
of woods, in which there are sometimes several 
gaps, which serve as so many doors to open 
between these vast fields of nature. While you 
are entering into one of these woody partitions, 
you think you have perhaps gone through the 
last plain, or prairie, as they are sometimes 
called, but in a short time you will abruptly 
break through into almost a new world of plain, 
as you will gradually discover through the 
opening between the trees another place void 
of woods, and in a little while you will see 
yourself in the midst of an extensive tract of 
country, bringing to your mind the patriarch's 
view of the plains of Jordan : " And Lot lifted 
up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, 



52 INOIAN REMlxMSCENCES. 

that it was well watered every where," Gen. 
xiii, 10 ; but with the exception of its being 
'' well watered ;" for you might travel till your 
tongue would cleave to the roof of your mouth 
before you could get a drink, even of bad water, 
for of good there is none. Before we entered 
these Jordan plains, we heard of two towns 
built on them. The first of these consisted of 
a few paltry cabins, perhaps five or six, one 
half inhabited, and the remainder about half 
built. The other notable town contained three 
or four worse cabins, inhabited by the same 
number of German families, from whom this 
great village received the name of Germantown. 
It is now, or shortly will be, abandoned to the 
Delaware Indians, in whose reserve it is con- 
tained. After various other adventures, we ar- 
rived at a tavern, in a portion of land between 
the Delaware and Wyandot reserves, within 
seven and a half miles of our destined place. 

When we came partly in sight of the inn, its 
showy sign gave us a high idea of it ; but when 
it came properly into view, its excellency all 
vanished. At this house we were informed that 
the Delaware Indians were in the habit of eating 
snakes, ground hogs, opossums, raccoons, pole- 
cats, and land tortoises. Their manner of cooking 
and eating the latter is this: They try to get 
the animal to put out its head, in order to cut it 
off, but if they fail in this, they take an effectual 
method : they place them upon a fire, and roast 
them until the shell will come off tolerably easy ; 
they then eat them up, entrails and all, while the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 63 

blood of the half-roasted reptile streams down 
their dirty cheeks and hands. 

Oct. 5. — This morning we set out, at six 
o'clock, for our appointed station. How great 
was our surprise, when we found neither bro- 
thers Young nor Finley before us ; the latter of 
whom was taken sick, but heard nothing of the 
former. With what anxious eyes did we look 
toward the mission house ! We expected every 
moment to see one or both of them coming out 
to meet us ; but in this we were disappointed. 
However, we put our trust in the Lord, and left 
the result to him. The Indian brethren post- 
poned their quarterly meeting until James B. 
Finley should come, though they assembled on 
this day for that purpose, and an appointment 
was made for me to preach the next day, which 
is the Sabbath. 

There are two reserves made for the Indians ; 
one for the Wyandots, which is nineteen miles 
long from east to west, and twelve from north to 
south. There is also a reserve of three quarter 
sections in this, one for a school and missiona- 
ry establishment, another for mechanics, and a 
third for the Indians' agent. The Delaware 
reserve includes only nine sections of land, and 
is situated south of the Wyandot, between both 
of which there is a fraction of land, mostly in- 
habited by white people. We entered upon the 
Wyandot territory with much interest, and look- 
ed on all sides to spy out some of our new neigh- 
bours. Neither Mrs. Elliott nor myself had ever 
seen a squaw, though we had frequently seen 



54 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Indian men. The first Indian we saw at this 
time was a man riding on a good horse, dressed 
in the Indian fashion, driving on at full gallop. 
We viewed attentively both him and his manoeu- 
vres. In a little time we came to a wigwam 
where we saw a squaw and three or four pap- 
pooses. The woman made a very good appear- 
ance ; so did the children. They were all 
dressed after the manner of the white people. 



REMINISCENCE VIII. 

Journal continued — First Sabbath at Sandusky- 
Interview with the chiefs and Steward — Preaching — 
An Indian marriage — Questions by Warpole — A child 
baptized — Visit from Steward. 

Sujiday, Oct. 6. — Last night we reposed com- 
fortably in our new mission house, being kindly 
received by the mission family. It consists of 
three young men, whose names are Riley, John 
Johnson, and Barnabas Boys, and a young wo- 
man named Jane Parker. I will describe the 
adventures of to-day wilh as much minuteness 
as I can, which are as follow : — 

The distance to the meeting house is six miles, 
through a vast plain. The meeting house is a 
log building, with filling between the logs, with- 
out doors, floor, seats or windows. Mrs. Elliott, 
Mr. Leech, and I rode in our one-horse wagon. 
The mission family and some other friends 
rode in the mission wagon, being seven in all. 
We set out about half past eight. As we rode 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 55 

through the plains we soon saw the Indians go- 
ing to meeting, coming from both sides of the 
road, through their respective narrow paths, 
going at full gallop ; each drove on, without re- 
garding us or one another, as fast as their horses 
could go. Their running puts me in remem- 
brance of Homer's description of Apollo's 
fierce and speedy movements — 

" Fierce as he moved the silver shafts resound." 

They *' moved fiercely " and speedily indeed, 
and though they had no silver arrows or shafts 
to resound, the lack was amply made up by the 
gingling of bunches of ear rings and nose trin- 
kets, the dangling of the tassels that hung from 
their bonnets or turbans, the motions and clat- 
ter of their knives and tomahawks hung to their 
belts ; and as they went, their feet moved hastily 
to and from the horses' sides, keeping time with 
the movements of the horses. 

We hitched our horses within a few rods of 
the meeting house, and came toward it our- 
selves. We heard the singing of these chil- 
dren of the forest before we came in sight of 
the house, which was elevating to our minds. 
As we advanced, we saw some stretched at full 
length on the ground, others standing, some 
smoking, and others in the meeting house, 
sitting seriously and composed. There were 
perhaps about thirty whites, some coloured per- 
sons, and more than both of Indians. Here I 
saw and recognized the three chiefs I saw at 
Marietta, at conference, viz. Between-the-Logs, 



56 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Mononcue, and John Hicks, all of whom shook 
hands with us, and heartily welcomed us. The 
same did the other pious chiefs, Jonathan Point- 
er, the black interpreter, and brother Steward, 
who may be called the apostle of this nation. 
It was thought best that I should preach first to 
the white people without an interpreter, and 
then address the red people by one, as they 
were not all yet come. This I did, from Luke 
xviii,22, "Follow me." My mind was strange- 
ly affected in addressing, for the first time, a 
congregation of red, black, and white men. 

After a few moments of intermission, I 
preached by the interpreter to the Indians. 
My text was Matt, xi, 28, " Come unto me all 
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest." From which I took occasion 
to show them, first, the wretched state of man 
without Christ, they labour and are heavy laden ; 
Secondly, the ability and suitableness and wil" 
lingness of Christ to save them ; Thirdly, their 
duty to come to Christ; Lastly, the blessings 
those will obtain who come to Him, viz. rest, i. e. 
they shall be delivered from the burden of sin, 
i. e. they shall be pardoned ; from the labour 
of sin, i. e. they shall be enabled to forsake sin : 
they shall have inward rest from all these, and 
shall enjoy peace, happiness, and rest in their 
own souls ; and shall finally rest with Christ in 
heaven. While I dwelt on these things, all were 
attentive and apparently serious. There is a 
remarkable gravity among the Indians ; they 
listen and attend with the most serious regard. 



INDIAN RExMINISCENCES. 67 

When I had done it was agreed that I should 
preach again to the red people after an hour's 
intermission. This I did from Isa. Iv, 9, " Seek 
the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon 
him while he is near." As this was to be a 
quarterly meeting occasion, the Indians were 
desirous of holding the meeting all night. When 
I had done preaching, it was observed to me 
that a couple of the Indians wanted to get mar- 
ried, on which I told them to come forward. 
On this occasion the war chief, Warpole, whose 

Indian name is , spoke out, and said 

he had a few questions to ask me ; I gave him 
liberty. He inquired " why was it that we were 
in the habit of holding meeting all night? that 
he thought it was not right, was contrary to 
former custom among them, and that the Great 
Spirit did not command or approve of it." To 
this I replied, that there was no command against 
it, provided it was done decently and in order ; 
that Jesus continued all night in prayer ; Jacob 
wrestled all night with the angel. And to his 
asking " if we were in the habit of doing so in 
other places?" I answered that there was no 
rule among us respecting it, any more than in 
Scripture. As we were about to proceed, ap- 
parently pretty lengthy, some observed, it 
would be better to postpone our conversation : 
accordingly we appointed to meet on Tuesday 
at 12 o'clock, at the mission house. I proceeded 
then to solemnize the marriage between the 
waiting and impatient couple, who appeared to 
advantage on the occasion. I performed the 



58 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ceremony as in the discipline of the M. E. 
Church, making use of the interpreter to inform 
them of its meaning, sentence by sentence, as I 
spake it. After this I baptized a child two months 
old, belonging to members of the Church. It 
was tied on a board about the child's length and 
breadth. After this, I and the mission family 
went home ; they continued their meeting until 
evening, and then dismissed. Thus ended our 
first Sabbath meeting. Upon the whole, it ap« 
peared to me interesting. I am content to live 
here, if the Lord will be with me : without this 
I cannot be happy in any place. 

Oct. 7 . — To-day brother Steward came to 
see me, and related to me his religious experi- 
ence, his leaving Marietta to come to this place, 
his introduction to, commencement with, and 
success among the Indians. It appears he was 
the first instrument used by God to bring these 
ignorant creatures to the knowledge of the 
truth ; and though he may not be as well quali- 
fied to carry it on as others, yet he is entitled 
to the respect of all Christians for what he has 
done. 



REMINISCENCE IX. 

Journal continued — Conversation with Warpole — 
His three questions answered — His account of Indian 
doctrines — Anotlier objection of liis answered. 

Tuesday, Oct. 8.— To-day Warpole, the In- 
dian war-chief, came to visit me, for the purpose 
of having some conversation with me, and asking 



INDIAN REMINISCExNCES. 59 

me some questions, accompanied by Mr. Walker, 
the interpreter, according to Sunday's agree- 
ment. After some desultory conversation before 
dinner, we all dined together, and then opened 
our conference. He commenced by asking me 
the following questions : — 

Question 1. *' How is it that you hold meet- 
ing at different places? why do you sometimes 
pray and hold meeting all night ? I think the 
Great Spirit does not approve of praying so." 

Answer. The reason why we do not always 
hold meeting in the same place is this; the peo- 
ple live scattered, and cannot all attend at the 
same place : it is therefore proper to move the 
meeting from place to place, so that all may 
have an opportunity to hear. As to our pray- 
ing and holding meeting all night, and that, as 
you think the Great Spirit does not approve of 
it, and that it is not customary among you, I 
would answer that God no where in his word 
forbids it ; we have an example of Jesus Christ's 
continuing all night in prayer ; Jacob wrestled 
all night with the angel ; both of these were 
extraordinary occasions ; so, among us, when 
sinners are struggling for pardon, or when saints 
need peculiar blessings, as on quarterly meeting 
occasions, we think it proper to pray all night 
and all day also. And we are convinced the 
Great Spirit approves of it, because he blesses 
us in this way. 

Quest. 2. *' I have been at three camp meet- 
ings, and observed, that after the preachers had 
preached, exhorted, and prayed, they very fre- 



60 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

quently went into their tent, and left the meet- 
ing to be carried on by the common people ; 
beside, the black people exceeded all the others 
in shouting and various exercises : these things 
I want to know about.'' 

Answ. The preachers are frequently tired out 
by having so much to do, and are not therefore 
able to endure the fatigue of sitting up all night ; 
beside, when the preachers do their parts, which 
is particularly to preach and exhort, it is very 
proper for awakened sinners to pray all night 
for pardon, and for believers to pray both for 
them and for themselves. In regard to the black 
people, they are generally ignorant, and have 
peculiar ways of expressing themselves : it is 
therefore very proper to give them the permis- 
sion of using their own mode ; furthermore, if, 
while spectators are marking every thing that 
they may see amiss in others, they would con- 
sider for a moment themselves, it would be of 
far greater use to them, than in making ill-na- 
tured remarks on others. Do not those who do 
so, act a worse part in thus condemning them 
and neglecting themselves, than the persons 
whom they thus charge ? In short, I have al- 
ways found that those persons who find the 
most fault with their neighbours are generally 
of the worst characters themselves. 

Quest. 3. " Why is it that your people are 
always finding fault with us for our dress ? 
Wherein is it wrong for us to wear such things 
as we do, and paint ourselves?" 

Answ. Respecting this I would note, that I 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 61 

think wearing gaudy dress is contrary to the 
Gospel ; and I think it would be enough for our 
people to tell you plainly and faithfully their 
opinion in a loving manner, without anger or 
ill will, and then leave you to God : that it is 
criminal in you to wear such things, if you 
take pride in them, and do it for show ; but if 
you wear them without thinking them to be 
evil, according to your best information, in a 
conscientious manner, I have reason to think 
the more favourably of you, for to your own 
Master you will stand or fall. 

After these answers he appeared considera- 
bly pleased, and voluntarily gave me the follow- 
ing account of the doctrines professed by them, 
as he thought : — 

" As to the doctrine of future rewards and pun- 
ishments, I would inform you. When I was a 
little boy, the old persons taught me as follows : 
when you are invited to go to a dance and feast, 
don't go there ; stay at home by the fireside ; 
and when you grow up, and have a house of 
your own, stay in it, and go not to such places 
as these ; for God does not require any of these 
things, nor does he delight in them, but will bring 
us into judgment for them. For after death we 
will be brought before him, and he will open a 
book in which all things ever done by us shall 
be written. He shall then go over all our doings, 
one by one, whether good or bad, beginning at 
the first and going on to the last, in the order 
they have been done in ; to every single one of 
which we must answer yes or no. And if our 



62 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

evil doings exceed the good, he will send us 
into a place where we shall be punished for all 
our bad doings, every one, and we can never 
come out of that place until we are pure and 
clean. But when we are made holy, we will 
be brought to a place of happiness and enjoy- 
ment, where no evil thing shall come, 

"2. As to the crime of murder, our doctrine 
is this : — If you kill one man you may be par- 
doned, and if you even kill a second you may yet 
be pardoned ; but if you kill a third person, you 
can never be pardoned. Because, such is the 
government of God over his creatures, that to 
kill a third goes to the end of his law, and the 
person thus guilty must be punished for ever. 

" 3. In regard to our common dancing and 
feasting, I would inform you, that it is not of old 
standing, but is of recent origin, and instituted 
by our fathers not many generations back, for 
the purpose of giving efficacy to a certain med- 
icine, by the power of which it is said we ob- 
tain strength and vigour to enable us to be pros- 
perous in hunting. But in these we put little 
confidence. But there are very ancient cus- 
toms among us, which we think of great im- 
portance, and lawful, and by no means like the 
former : these are the war dance, the new-crop 
dance and feast, which is held when we obtain 
the first ripe fruit, which is generally in Au- 
gust, and the national ball-play, the design of 
which is to make us strong and vigorous. 

" 4. Many generations back, more than can be 
now ascertained, among my own progenitors, a 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 63 

certain man of them obtained a leather coat from 
the thunder, by virtue of which he became so 
famous in war as to excel al! others in his na- 
tion, and to be the ruin and terror of his ene- 
mies. But in times of peace he became so vio- 
lent and outrageous, and so injurious to our na- 
tion, as to commit many and atrocious murders. 
He was told and warned of his crimes, and re- 
quired to desist, but still he continued on. They 
then told him that unless he left off such things 
they would kill him; but he still pursued his old 
practices, notwithstanding their threats. They 
then determined to put him to death, and ac- 
quainted him of it. To this he assented, and ad- 
vised them to do so ; but, said he, I will ascend 
to the thunder, and strive to do you all the good 
in my power. Shortly after, as he and two more 
were walking over a log that crossed a creek, 
the one being behind and the other before him, 
the one that was behind pierced him with a kind 
of spear so that he fell down ; he then pierced 
himi again with the spear, and killed him. They 
next carried him to the other side of the creek, 
built a log heap, placed him on it, and set it on 
fire. Just as his body was almost consumed, it 
made a great crack, and a curling smoke as- 
cended toward heaven, out of which they heard 
a voice which said, * I am ascending to the thun- 
der from whence I came : appoint in the family 
to which I belong a feast of a certain sort of 
provision, to be held annually, to be celebrated 
by the chief person in our family ; let tobacco 
be thrown into the fire to make a pleasant per- 



64 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

fume, and you will hear my voice in the spring 
of the year.' This ceremony was accordingly 
observed in our family, and which was their 
exclusive right, down to the present generation. 
Now I am the chief of the family, whose right 
it is to regulate the ceremony, but as the in- 
junction was the command of man, and not the 
command of God, I thought it of no use to at- 
tend to it, and have therefore omitted it. 

** 5. There was a custom among them in old 
times, that boys should undergo a long fast, 
and go through certain ceremonies, which are 
now entirely unknown, in order to obtain from 
the wild beasts a certain supernatural power, 
strength, or excellency, whereby they would be 
enabled to excel in war, hunting, or otherwise. 
Shortly after this, the wild beasts became very 
troublesome, and assaulted persons in the woods, 
but especially the women ; the serpents and all 
venomous creatures seemed to attack them on 
all sides, and in every manner. By reason of 
this, there was a universal fear excited among 
them, which produced general consternation. 
About this time the Roman priest came among 
us, and told us if we were to get all our chil- 
dren baptized, we would be delivered from the 
ravages of the wild beasts and snakes. We ac- 
cordingly did, and the wild beasts ceased to at- 
tack us as they had done before. At this time 
we lived in Canada." 

Here the interpreter, Mr. Walker, sen., who 
had been taken prisoner from Virginia when 
twelve years of age, and is now more than fifty 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 65 

years old, and had ever since lived among them, 
and married one of their nation, observed that 
he remembers when the remains of this fear was 
among them ; that it was only a few.years since 
it was done away, which appeared to him to 
have something strange and curious ii\ it. 

After this he was anxious to have another ob- 
jection answered, which was to this amount : — 
" Why does your religion produce contention 
among us, not only between your side and ours, 
at large, but even among families, when some of 
them leave the old religion and go over to you ? 
The Roman priest did not say that those who 
were not baptized, and still followed their own 
ways, would be lost for ever." To this I re- 
plied : — Truth and righteousness are directly op- 
posite and different from error and sin ; and those 
that will pursue the right way will always walk 
in a way different from those that pursue sin and 
their own ways. Hence will arise opposition ; yet 
the good way is not to be blamed, though it may 
have given occasion to the others to be enraged 
and angry. And this is agreeable to what our 
Lord Jesus Christ says, when he declares, '' I 
am come to send fire on the earth, and what 
will I if it be already kindled ? Suppose ye that 
I am come to give peace on the earth ? I tell 
you nay, but rather division : for from henceforth 
there shall be five in one house divided, three 
against two, and two against three. The father 
shall be divided against the son, and the son 
against the father; the mother against the 
daughter, and the daughter against the mother ; 
5 



66 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, 
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in- 
law," Luke xii, 49-53. Thus the dissension, 
divisions, and strife that are the result of our 
religion among you, is a proof that it came from 
Jesus Christ ; though itself is not in the fault, 
but those who oppose it are in a wrong way. — 
And as to the priest's not molesting you in your 
security, or reproving you for your sins, it is a 
plain proof of his religion's being wrong, since 
he taught you in order to please you, and not to 
reform you. When we had gone so far, Mr. 
Walker, the interpreter, was called away, which 
interrupted our conversation. I then exhorted 
him to pray to God, and forsake every sin, and 
he would bless him. He confessed he was a 
great sinner and drunkard, and was unfit to say 
any thing good to any person. I invited him to 
accept of a few turnips. He said he would call 
upon me some other time for them. We shook 
hands in good humour ; I said I was ready any 
time to converse with him, and thus ended our 
conversation for the present. 



REMINISCENCE X. 

Journal — Exhortations of Between-the-Logs and 
Armstrong — Arrival of brother Finley — Incidents 
during his stay — Prayers of the chiefs' for the re- 
covery of his health. 

Oct. 13, 1822. — I went to meeting, and 
preached to my red brethren, by the interpreter, 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 67 

from Matt, xxvi, 26. After I had done preaching, 
Between-the-Logs gave us an exhortation, the 
purport of which was as follows, as near as I 
could gather from the interpreter : — " My dear 
brethren and sisters, you cannot leave off drink- 
ing strong liquor without the help of God, be- 
cause God has all power, and we must be aided by 
him before we are able to overcome strong liquor. 
The Lord knows whether we are seeking him in 
earnest or not. We must have patience in this 
great work, for this is necessary ; I found it ne- 
cessary to be patient, and to continue to wait upon 
the Lord, and after 1 had prayed to continue ex- 
pecting until God would bless me. We shall 
have many temptations and trials, but they shall 
be the means of our growing more in righteous- 
ness ; they shall help us ; they shall be wings 
to us by which we shall fly up from this world." 
Then brother Armstrong, a white man, who was 
taken a prisoner when about ten years old, who 
spoke their language very fluently, and happily 
experienced religion in this nation, exhorted to 
the following amount : — "Brothers and sisters, I 
have been raised among you, and want to tell 
you the truth as near as I can. This is the 
truth that the minister tells you ; there is no 
other way that leads truly to heaven, but the way 
that is through Jesus Christ, and salvation by 
him. In this way I mean to live and die, by the 
grace of God helping me." We then concluded 
our meeting with singing and prayer. God 
was in our midst to bless us. I felt encouraged 



68 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

to proceed in the work of the mission, by the 
assistance of the Lord. 

Oct. 20. — In the course of the last week 
brother Finley arrived, to the no small joy of 
the mission family and of the Indians. Al- 
though yesterday and to-day it rained almost 
without intermission, yet a good number of our 
red friends attended. The proceedings of the 
day were nearly as follows : — Brother Finley 
commenced meeting with singing and prayer, 
and then preached from the following text : 
*' For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 
they are the sons of God." The subject of 
which is nearly as follows : " Every man is led 
by some spirit. Some are led by the spirit of 
pride, and think too highly of themselves, and 
sometimes deck themselves out with needless 
ornaments. Others are led by the spirit of the 
world, and love the things of this perishing earth, 
so as to neglect their souls. Others are led by 
drunkenness, into a number of other wicked 
deeds. All these are led by the spirit of the 
devil, and must finally, if they repent not, be 
sent into hell with him. But, we rejoice to tell 
you, that Jesus Christ gave himself for us, and 
sent down his Holy Spirit to show us the right 
way. Now I will show you in what way the 
good book teaches us respecting God's Spirit. 
It is compared to Jire. Fire gives light, and so 
does the Spirit. You remember when you were 
walking in your old traditions, but when the 
Spirit came upon you, you saw yourselves lost, 
and by his light you took the back track, and 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. b9 

came right to God. Fires give heat, so the 
Spirit quickened your dead souls, and wrought 
mightily in you. The Spirit is compared to 
water; water cleanses and makes yow fruitful, 
BO with many of you, you have been cleansed 
and purified from your sins by his cleansing 
power, while you have been also rendered fruit- 
ful unto every good word and work. Thus the 
Spirit of God leads such as are submissive to 
him in the good way, and leads them from their 
dances, frolicking, hunting, and old traditions. 
And such obedient persons, who are thus led, 
are privileged with being the sons of God, which 
is the greatest blessing that can be ; for God 
will preserve, protect, supply, and comfort all 
his children. Suppose his (turning round and 
pointing to Mononcue) child were in danger, he 
would surely deliver him if he could ; if he 
were sick, he would endeavour to cure him ; 
if he were in want, the father would supply his 
want. So God will also, in an especial manner, 
deliver, comfort, and supply the wants of his 
children. Be encouraged, therefore, to serve 
your God." After this, leave of speaking being 
given to any of the chiefs who felt free to it, 
Mononcue rose up and spoke as follows, after 
an appropriate introduction : — " My fellow sin- 
ners, you had better give it up, for this is a way 
which will not stand. Look at me, and see 
what I was. I was once in darkness as you 
are. I was very strong in my old traditions, 
and in my old forms of religion, and often said 
I would never follow the way I am now in. 



70 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

But when the light of Christ came upon me, I 
saw that I was in darkness ; you are also now 
in darkness. Seek the Lord with all your heart, 
for the day is coming when we shall be all 
judged." He burst into a flood of tears in the 
midst of his discourse, and spoke with a pathos 
and energy which affected not only those who 
understood his language, but those also who 
did not. We then, all together, red, white, and 
black, partook of the sacrament, at which we 
had a gracious season of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord. 

In the evening we had a marriage ; it was 
between brother John Hicks, one of the chiefs 
of the nation and an exhorter in our Church, 
and Catharine Warpole. Seven of the brethren 
and five of the sisters were present in the mis- 
sion house on the occasion, all of whom stayed 
all night. Brother Finley performed the so- 
lemnity. It was a very serious time. All be- 
haved with a decorum and decency, which, I 
think, are seldom witnessed at marriages among 
white people. 

After this, brother Finley and the chiefs en- 
tered into a conference respecting the regula- 
tion of our school, the appointment of meetings, 
and the choice and employment of an inter- 
preter. Respecting the school, it was mutually 
agreed, 1st. That five brethren, viz. Between- 
the-Logs, John Hicks, Mononcue, Peacock, and 
Squire Grey-Eyes, should be a committee to 
inspect the school. 2. That no children would 
be received for the space of a few weeks or 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 71 

days, unless they designed to continue at school 
until they would have time to receive an edu- 
cation. 3d. That no scholar would have per- 
mission to go home without leave from the mis- 
sionary. 4th. No complaint will be listened to 
respecting the treatment of the children, nor 
will parents, guardians or others, regard the 
stories of children, until the matter is inquired 
into by the above committee. 

It was agreed, ** that there should be meeting 
two Sundays out of three at the mission house, 
and every third one at the Big Springs, which 
is twelve miles distant ; there shall also be 
prayer meetings every Wednesday evening, to 
be holden circularly at the mission house, Mo- 
noncue's, Between-the-Logs', and Hicks'." 

It was ordained by the conference, that an 
interpreter should be clioscn by the chiefs, and 
employed by brother Finley. There was a diffi- 
culty in coming to a determination on this point, 
as there were three or four who were in the 
habit of interpreting, and the choice of any one 
might lead to murmuring on the oart of the 
others. On this occasion, the chiefs manifested 
a penetration and caution which show them to 
be men of sound minds and good hearts. 

After this, we had a very interesting and 
friendly conversation, in which each spoke his 
sentiments with the utmost freedom, and with- 
out the least reserve. The chiefs anticipated and 
looked forward to the time when the children 
of their nation should be taught to read, and 
thereby be informed of the great and sublime 



72 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

truths of Christianity ; when the rising genera- 
tion would be able to read the Bible to their pa- 
rents at their firesides, and interpret to them its 
contents ; when, from among themselves, there 
would be raised up ministers who would preach 
Jesus unto them : in short, they not only imag- 
ined they saw, but they were confident it was 
written in the word of God, that the heathen 
were given to Christ, and that, therefore, the 
several Indian nations would submit to him. 
While they were thus gladdening their hearts 
with this pleasing conversation, brother Finley 
and I introduced the prospect of the Scriptures 
being translated into the Wyandot language, 
and dispersed among the different branches of 
the nation, as the Seminoles in the south, and 
those divisions of it that were at Detroit and 
Canada. Here, I think, I saw plain marks of 
the Saviour's love in our Indian Christians. 
All our hearts seemed to glow as we were thus 
employed. At a late hour we all retired to 
sleep, the men to one end of the house and the 
women to fi\e other. Brother Finley and his 
old bed-fellow, Mononcue, slept together, and 
for want of beds seven or eight slept on the 
floor before the fire ; thus, with joyful hearts, we 
committed our bodies to sleep, under the pro- 
tection of Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. 
Monday, Oct. '21. — This morning the chiefs, 
being informed of two children, an Indian boy 
and girl of the Wyandot nation, that the Balti- 
more Finleyan Society designed to make some 
provisions for, whose names were to be called 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 73 

Francis Asbury and Mary Fletcher, selected 
them, being assisted by Brother Fin'ey. The 
one was a daughter of Mononcue, and the other 
a son of John Hicks. 

The chiefs took leave this morning of brother 
Finley in a very affectionate manner, being 
heartily glad and thankful to God for his re- 
covery from his sickness, which was a severe 
attack of the fever and ague. Peacock told him, 
" I am glad that God permitted you to visit us 
once more in health ; I feel determined to serve 
God as long as I live, and hope to see you 
again in health ; I trust God will preserve us 
all while we will be separated from one another 
in the woods." Mononcue said, '' Brother, I 
have prayed for you while you were sick ; I be- 
lieve God has answered my prayers in preserv- 
ing you alive to preach the Gospel to us again. 
Farewell." Between-the-Logs observed, '* Bro- 
ther, when you and sister Finley were sick I 
prayed for you, and committed both of you into 
the hands of God, whether in life or in death. 
I feel strong in God ; he has answered my pray- 
ers in sending the Gospel to us. I have now 
two staffs to support me when I walk, both you 
and the other missionary, and trust I shall, with 
the help of God, walk firmly. Brother, fare- 
well." Thus our very interesting meeting 
ended. 



74 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

REMINISCENCE XI. 

Journal — Meeting at the Big Springs — Description 
of the wigwam — Supper — Evening's devotions — Man 
ner of sleeping. 

Nov. 2. — To-day I set out, about 12 o'clock, 
P. M., for the Big Springs, which is twelve or 
fourteen miles from the mission house, accom- 
panied by brothers Armstrong and Pointer, our 
interpreters. These people are very much civ- 
ilized, and still more advanced in religion. 
Their piety appears to me to be genuine, very 
unaffected and deep. We stopped where two 
families had built their little cabins, both of 
which were in the same enclosure, being only a 
few yards distant, and surrounded by a low 
fence. The good people received us with the 
greatest cordiality and friendship, unaccompa- 
nied with those artificial compliments, so gen- 
eral in what is termed the polite world. Where 
we stopped, was a cabin of thirteen or fourteen 
feet square. On the north side was the door, 
hung on iron hinges. On the right side, as you 
go in, were three shelves, which served as a 
dresser, on which stood a coffee pot, a few pint 
tin cups, some delph plates, and several other 
utensils. On the west side was the fireplace. 
Opposite the door stood a table, under a window 
or square hole, with a wooden shutter, which 
served in the place of glass. On the east side 
were two beds, or rather bedsteads. Their form 
was this, thin puncheons placed upon narrow 
benches, about twenty inches high. On them 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 75 

were no bed ticks ; a few skins served in the 
place of feathers and straw, while the blankets 
lay unspread on this platform. There is a very 
great contrast between this and the commodious 
habitations in which I was accustomed to lodge 
in the towns, villages, and country places, among 
respectable white people. This place put me in 
mind of the humiliation of Christ, who did not 
make his appearance among the rich and great, 
but was born in a stable, a manger serving him 
as a cradle, while it taught me humility and con- 
tentment. The good woman, shortly after our 
arrival, commenced to cook supper. Eating 
among these people had formerly been consid- 
ered by me as a cross, for fear of dirty victuals. 
A racoon I saw hanging up in the house, when 
I arrived, was, in my opinion, to be part of my 
supper : but I was happily disappointed, when, 
in a short time, I saw a supper prepared, cleaner 
than I sometimes saw among some whites. The 
repast was made up of venison, mountain tea, 
and corn bread : the meal of which it was com- 
posed was made by pounding corn in a hom- 
mony trough. After supper the interpreters 
translated the first three verses of John's Gospel, 
and I from their mouth wrote it down. I hope 
this first trial will not end here. I trust we shall 
be enabled to give to these poor people at least 
some of the word of God. After this I gave an 
exhortation to the two families, who by this time 
had assembled. The Spirit of God bore witness 
to our hearts while I spoke to them. O ! the 
rich grace of God, through Jesus Christ, which 



76 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

has visited these poor people in the forest, mak- 
ing them partakers of like precious faith with 
us. While I am now writing, they are singing 
in animated strains, 

* Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone," &c. 

the meaning of which they understand, from its 
being so frequently sung and explained to them 
by the interpreters. This seems like seeing his 
track andpursuing it also, even the narrow road. 
It looks like the way the holi/ prophets went. 
They had doubtlessly their hopes Jixed on Jesus 
Christ. How the little cabin did resound while 
they were singing about having nothing but sin 
to give, and that nothing but love would they 
receive. I saw the tears drop down their faces, 
while the name of Jesus was praised, as plainly 
indicative of the grace of God in their hearts, of 
which I heard them speak last Sabbath in class 
meeting, and which they manifest in their life, 
obedience to God. This little wigwam is none 
other than the house of God and the gate of 
heaven to our souls. My pen catches the sacred 
fire which has already reached my heart from 
the live coal from the altar which has touched 
our lips. I am inclined to proclaim aloud the 
praises of the Redeemer. Carry the sounds, 
ye fleet winds of God, even to the uttermost 
tribes of the Indians ; and then announce it with 
speed to all Christendom ! Ye plains of San- 
dusky, what voices are these I hear echoing 
through you, and reaching the neighbouring 
woods 1 It is the voice of Indians, that a few 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. Tt 

years ago were singing the war song, but who 
now sing the song of the hundred and forty and 
four thousand. Where we now are is near the 
place where Crawford was put to death. Hal- 
lelujah to Him that sitteth on the throne, and 
to the Lamb, for he has redeemed us out of 
every nation and tongue and people ; — for I see 
here black Jonathan Pointer, the red brethren 
and myself, all joining in the same song, all 
equally indebted to the same Saviour, and re- 
joicing in him. 

AVe next joined in prayer, after I had given 
them a little lecture on its nature and advan- 
tages, during which the Lord continued to bless 
us. It was now about eleven o'clock. Our 
kind host spread a cloth before the fire ; on this 
I spread a blanket to lie on, put another over 
me, both of which I brought from home for that 
purpose; put my surtout under my head for a 
pillow, threw my great coat over all, and thus 
committed my body to rest. Brother Arm- 
strong lay next me, and next to him our colour- 
ed friend. 

Nov. 3. — To-day we had a glorious time of 
refreshing from the presence of the Lord. 



78 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 



REMINISCENCE Xll. 

Organization and progress of the school — General 
character of the children — Two anecdotes— Contem- 
plated good results of the school — Different lights in 
which it is viewed by the Indians — Two anecdotes of 
Mrs. Hill — Behaviour of the children at prayer. 

Nov. 15. — I shall here write down some par- 
ticulars concerning the commencement, pro- 
gress, and present state of the school, together 
with some anecdotes respecting the children, as 
well as some other circumstances which do not 
come in a regular way, or which might have 
eluded my observation at a former time. 

Brother Finley and I proposed that the school 
should be opened on Monday, 22d of October, 
and he took his departure the day following. 
The first week, we had only four or five chil- 
dren ; one of these was a profligate, as we found 
out afterward. She found way to my wife's 
chest, and that of the servant maid's, and pil- 
fered them of some trifling articles ; after a few 
days she went away. I thought that if many of 
the children were like her, we could not live 
with them, and my acquaintance was so little 
with Indians, that I thought a majority of them 
might be of that caste. My discouragements, 
this week, were many, but I thought that pre- 
cipitancy in judging or acting in my critical 
situation might be accompanied, or at any rate 
followed, with serious consequences. Amidst 
these embarrassments, patience and faith were 
called into exereite. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 79 

The next week we had eight children under 
our care, one or two of whom appeared to be a 
little refractory, but by some attention to them, 
I found it was possible to regulate them. Not 
knowing that it was customary with Indians to 
correct their children, I was peculiarly careful 
not to take any measure that might give umbrage 
to the nation in our first commencement ; for 
this might raise such a prejudice against us as 
to render us entirely useless to them ; nay, it 
might altogether destroy the school establish- 
ment among- this people. 

The next week, which ended October and 
began November, our school increased to eigh- 
teen. The children appear to be doing better, 
and more submissive than at first. On the 11th 
inst., we had twenty-two children, and we have 
now, Nov. 15th, thirty-seven ; before Christmas 
we expect to have between forty and fifty, and 
a considerable increase beyond this in spring. 
The greater part of the nation are now out hunt- 
ing, which prevents the increase of our school : 
they will return about the end of December, or 
beginning of January, when we expect a con- 
siderable augmentation of scholars. 

Little had been done before my arrival here, 
in teaching the children to read ; though as much 
as could be done under the circumstances. 
Brother Steward taught between two or three 
months last winter at the Big Springs, but so 
short a time could effect little. My worthy pre- 
decessor, the Rev. James B. Finley, did all he 
could by way of preparation.^ He employed a 



80 INDIAN EEMINISCENCES, 

young woman last year, but for want of a school 
house little could be done, as the school was 
taught in a shed ; the mission house then being 
a small cabin, could not furnish room for the 
children. Only two of the twenty-seven chil- 
dren here now can read, only six can spell a 
little on the book in easy monosyllables, seven 
know their letters, and twelve of them knew 
nothing of their letters when they came here. 

The children by assiduous care, are learning 
fast, notwithstanding the obstacles in their way. 
It is very difficult for them to pronounce some 
English words, especially those in which h,p, and 
some other letters are to be found, as there are 
no sounds corresponding to these letters in the 
Wyandot language. I must also speak to them 
by an interpreter ; but in merely learning to spell 
and read, after learning the elementary sounds, 
their progress is not so much retarded as one 
would suppose. Here I found the great disad- 
vantage in teaching English, compared to Ger- 
man or even French, in consequence of the 
various sounds given to the same letters and 
combination of letters in our language. During 
the first six weeks of the school's existence I 
taught it myself Only consider the picture 
which between thirty and forty children entirely 
untutored, mostly beginning, and all in a strange 
language, presents to the observer. No six 
weeks of my life were ever spent more busily 
than in teaching these children their alphabets 
and other elementary lessons. Every mode 
which invention could devise was resorted to ; 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 81 

and it is believed they learned as much as any 
children ever did in the same time, and under 
the same or similar circumstances. 

As to the general character of the children, I 
would remark, that they are very sober, all things 
considered : are very agreeable among them- 
selves, and of a very obliging and good-natured 
disposition, and perhaps in these respects excel 
white children in general. They are, for the 
most part, willing to do what they are told ; they 
do not proceed immediately to do a thing when 
bid, which at a first or slight view would appear 
like unwillingness to obey ; but upon consider- 
ation, it appears to me to be owing either to the 
general character of this nation, which is the 
direct opposite of precipitancy, for they seem 
to diliberate, reflect, and consider, and even in 
some cases to delay and suspend, both in speak- 
ing and acting, before they will decide ; or rather 
it may be owing to their not understanding us. 
An instance of the latter happened a few days 
ago, which is as follows : — The maid told one 
of the Indian girls to put the tea-kettle on the 
fire, full of water ; she went away and filled the 
coffee pot and put it on. The girl it appears 
did not understand her, or not knowing the dis- 
tinction between tea kettles and coffee pots, &c 
and thinking them all of nearly the same kind. 
Into this error she was led by the meaning of 
the Indian word hveestah, which is a name com- 
mon to any metal, as tin, copper, brass, &lc. and 
to most vessels made of them. It is similar in 
meaning to our word metal, but more general. 
6 



S3 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

The instances of contention and disagreement 
among them are very rare. Yet fallen nature 
manifests itself sufficiently among them even in 
this. We had an example of this also a few- 
nights ago, between two little boys of eight or 
nine years of age, one of whom had been put 
out of bed by the other boy, and forced to lie on 
the bare floor. When this was known to us, 
we made him a bed by himself At the time 
referred to, he went early to bed. The other, 
who a few days before had come, and was ac- 
customed to do as he wished, endeavoured to put 
him out of his bed by getting on the top of him, 
and endeavouring to take the clothes off him, 
and get in himself P. being incensed that he 
should be deprived of his only asylum, with his 
teeth laid hold of J.'s ear, and made the blood 
come freely. They both engaged in combat — 
the other boys called for me, and I was under 
the necessity of reproving sharply both of the 
boys, but since that they have lived in the 
greatest unity. 

While I was administering reproof, one of the 
large boys who was standing by said in Wyan- 
dot, as I afterward learned, " Now the boy who 
is in the wrong will certainly cry, but he that 
is not will cry none." Whether each of them 
thought himself innocent, or not being willing 
to own their guilt, I cannot tell, but neither of 
them cried, but on the contrary bore their re- 
proof with the greatest firmness. 

The greatest good may result from this school. 
The female children, it is expected, will be 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 83 

taught to read, write, spin, sew, knit, weave, 
cook, and do all sorts of house work necessary for 
comfortable living, and thus will become indus- 
trious and economical wives, submissive to their 
husbands, and affectionate parents. Beside, 
they will be taught the great principles of the 
Gospel, which will lead them into the ways of 
piety, and will preserve them from Indian super- 
stition and tradition. The boys will be taught in 
like manner the Christian religion, in its theory, 
experience, and practice ; they will be instruct- 
ed, practically, to farm, so that when they leave 
school they may be qualified to become indus- 
trious farmers, good citizens, intelligent men, 
tender parents, affectionate husbands, and obe- 
dient children, and thus people their nation with 
a generation equal, as men, citizens, or Chris- 
tians, to any perhaps in the United States. More 
still : from these boys, part of whom are pious, 
and others of them inclined to piety, while most 
are moral, will be raised up Christian preachers, 
to prfeach to their fellow men, and to carry the 
word of life to other Indian nations. They shall 
be qualified to instruct their parents and the 
other members of their respective families in the 
great doctrines of the Gospel. At the fireside 
they will be able to interpret to them the word 
of God, and recite to them the truths they have 
learned. They shall here unavoidably be taught 
English, and thus can be more perfectly in- 
structed in the mysteries of the kingdom of hea- 
ven, for they can hear more sermons, and those 
they do hear will not be through the tedious and 



S4 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

imperfect means of an interpreter. Beside, 
they shall, by early imbibhig Gospel truths, be 
preserved from the superstitions of heathenism, 
and the practice resulting from them. The 
Indian god shall be neglected, the war dance 
shall be no more celebrated, and the idolatrous 
feasts shall be entirely done away and neglected. 
At present some of the Indians are in favour 
of the school, and others are opposed to it. 
They say that Indians who have been learned 
are worse than others ; that the Great Spirit nev- 
er designeJ that Indians should learn. While 
others seem to take a middle way, and wait in 
suspense to see what shall be the fruit of our 
doings. The religious part are very much in 
favour of the children's instruction. They say 
themselves are too old to learn, lament they 
cannot read the word of God, but hope their 
children will learn, and not labour under the 
disadvantages they are irrecoverably involved in. 
A little circumstance will show how much some 
are in favour of our establishment, and will afford 
an example of the anxiety and zeal of others. 
Sister Hill, a very pious and sensible woman, 
came last Saturday with her little son of nine 
years of age, to leave him at school, and to stay 
all night with us, to see how we came on. After 
she had seen all she could, and we showed her 
all things, and told her of our regulations, she 
was very much pleased ; but she expressed her 
sorrow that she was not now a little girl, so that 
she might also come here and learn to read the 
Bible, &c ; for these people think more of read- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 85 

ing the Bible than any other acquisition in the 
world, which should be a lesson to many who 
can read, but seldom peruse that holy book. 
So zealous was she that others should learn, 
that in a few days she brought to school a broth- 
er of hers, a young man of eighteen years of 
age ; and she has, as I am told, persuaded two 
other persons to come to the school. 

I cannot avoid, in this place, making mention 
of another little anecdote about this good wo- 
man, which places her piety in a very conspic- 
uous point of view, while it will also put to the 
blush the half-hearted devotion of many pro- 
fessors. The story is this : her husband, who is 
a wicked man, determined to go to hunt in 
company with a number of very profligate and 
profane persons of the same nation. She endea- 
voured to persuade him not to go with them, 
but to seek for better company, but all in vain, 
go he would with these same persons. She 
doubted whether it was her duty to go, even 
with her husband, in company with such aban- 
doned wretches. Her conscience could not be 
easy in this matter, till she acquainted Mr. Fin- 
ley of the affair, and asked his pastoral advice. 
He advised her to go, but not to forget to pray 
to God and serve him. Every night she prayed 
with her family in her husband's camp, while 
it was frequent with the above persons to make 
much disturbance outside the camp in time of 
prayer. But God in this did not leave her pious 
labour without its acknowledgment. For after 
hunting was over, and all had returned, a cer- 



86 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

tain woman, who was one of her greatest op 
posers, came to Mr. Finley and told him that if 
it had not been for the prayers of that woman, 
God would have punished them all, and the 
devil would have got them. So sister HilFs 
fidelity proved to be the instrument of conver- 
sion to others. 

Their behaviour at prayer is very good. The 
mission family assemble for prayer in the kitch- 
en, morning and evening, the boys and girls 
sitting apart. They sit during the reading of the 
Scriptures with the most becoming reverence, 
stand in singing, and most of them join in the 
tune, though they do not know the words, and 
kneel when we pray. I never saw better beha- 
viour, or more solemnity among any people in 
the time of prayer. This is a most interesting 
season. It supplies the place of meetings to a 
great degree, as the number of the mission 
family, including the Indian children, at this 
date is about thirty persons. 



REMINISCENCE XIIl. 

The school continued — Description of the mission 
house — Employ of the boys and girls — Number and 
employ of the mission family — Dress of the Indian 
children — Religious state of the Indians — Skill of the 
children in singing — Their manner of sleeping. 

A DESCRIPTION of our housc will be necessa- 
ry, in order to give a proper idea of our regula- 
tions respecting the government of the children. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 87 

considered as a part of our family. Our liouse 
consists of four large rooms, two above, and two 
below stairs, with a fireplace in each, the upper 
and lower rooms communicating, with each 
other by stairs, there being no door in the par- 
tition wall which divides the house into two 
equal parts. The upper is a half story. Be- 
low stairs, south, is the room for the missiona- 
ry and the female part of the mission family, 
and above it the Indian girls' room ; below 
stairs, north, is the kitchen, which serves also 
for a dining room, and above it the boys' room. 
The school house is about four rods from the 
mission house, or rather we have converted the 
old mission house into a school house. All 
rise in the morning so as to have prayer over 
before it is properly light. 

After prayer the girls are required to stay in 
the kitchen until bed time, unless in school hours, 
where they are taught to spin, sew, knit, assist 
in cooking, &c. ; and they must all sleep in their 
own room at night, to which there is no en- 
trance but through my room ; they are not gen- 
erally permitted to stay in my room, or go into 
the boys' room on any pretext, unless to make 
the beds, sweep it, &c. As to the boys, when 
prayer is over in the morning, they go to the 
school house, put on a fire, and stay there till 
night, unless they choose, when school does not 
hold, to play innocently, and are not to come 
into the kitchen until night, unless when called 
to eat, or are employed otherwise : but the most 
of their spare hours they are engaged in chop- 



88 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ping, taking care of cattle, husking corn, &c. 
In the evening they are to put on a fire in their 
own room, where they are to stay till bed time. 
These regulations I found necessary to make, 
for the purpose of preserving such order as that 
one part may not prevent the other from pursu- 
ing their several employs. 

Our mission family consists of myself and 
wife, one young woman and two young men, 
one of whom is a good part of his time employed 
in hauling from a distance provisions and other 
things needed by the mission ; and the other 
young man is employed on the farm. Two 
young women, as an addition to our family, were 
employed by brothers Young and Finley to 
come here, one to do house work, and the other 
to teach school ; but by reason of sickness they 
could not come ; and we expect none sooner 
than Christmas. All the children board with 
us, which gives us a great deal of trouble, and 
makes much work for us all to do. 

As to myself, I am closely employed at school 
hours in teaching, which is a difficult job, seeing 
they are almost all beginners, or nearly so ; and 
in the intervals of time not employed in teach- 
ing, it is as much as I can do to keep so large 
a family in order, especially since they have 
every thing to learn. You must, in short, teach 
them every thing. 

Mrs. Elliott and the young women have three 
times as much to do as any women ought to do, 
yet there is no remedy but to work the harder, 
and continue longer and closer at it. As the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. Oil 

mission family and the Indian school, being in 
all between thirty and forty, board in the mis- 
sion house, it is no small job to cook and wash 
for them, to say nothing of making. and mend- 
ing clothes for all the Indian children, as well 
as cleaning them, both of which must be done. 
It is true, our cooking is very simple. Our 
supplies consist of bread, hommony, meat, no 
milk or butter, and sometimes tea and coffee. 
As the family increased so much before we had 
time to prepare for them, we laboured under no 
small inconveniences in baking for our large 
family, with one Dutch oven, as it is called, and 
a skillet. After a while Mr. Shaw, the United 
States' agent, and myself, built an oven, made 
of brickbats, small stones and clay, which an- 
swered an excellent purpose, and in which 
eighteen loaves were baked at a time, and we 
baked four times each week. The women sit 
up usually to ten, eleven, and sometimes to 
twelve o'clock at night, and even later, in order 
to furnish clothing for our half-naked children, 
as they came in rags. To clean and comb 
them, so as to rid them of vermin, was a most 
loathsome and difficult undertaking, as they 
greased their heads with bears' oil, and never 
combed them ; to comb their hair was an un- 
pleasant yet necessary work. They could not 
do this themselves, being never accustomed to 
it : we found it necessary to do it for them first, 
and then instruct them how to do it themselves. 
The cincture too which they wore around their 
loins, for the purpose of tying their legging 



90 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

strings to it, was a fruitful reservoir of living 
creatures. Although clean clothes were furn- 
ished, all was unavailing toward producing 
cleanliness, until we prevailed on them to cease 
wearing them, which they did with considera- 
ble unwillingness. 

The children are very poorly clothed in gen- 
eral when they come. They wear moccasons 
in the place of shoes, both males and females. 
The boys have leggings instead of overalls, 
which go down as far as their ankles or upper 
part of the foot, and reach up as high as mid- 
thigh : these are kept up by two straps, fastened 
to a cincture which surrounds the loins. Their 
shirts are not concealed as ours are, but hang 
down as far as their knees, in fashion of the old 
sort of bed gowns ; their shirts are mostly ruf- 
fled in the most ludicrous manner, and generally 
with as coarse stuff as the shirts themselves, and 
of the same colour, which varies to every hue, 
for some are white, some cotton, some muslin, 
&LC. ; beside, the ruffles are about as dirty as 
they can be. They generally wear jackets 
similar to ours, which are rarely kept buttoned. 
Over these is worn the hunting shirt, some of 
deer skin, as are sometimes the leggings also, 
but mostly of linsey, and always well fringed off. 
Some, in the place of the hunting shirt, wear 
surtouts, made, for the most, very well, and 
generally of fine cloth. Around the waist, and 
to complete the body dress, is worn the belt, 
made of thick leather about three inches broad, 
buckled tight with a strong buckle, and having 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 91 

the knife scabbard hung to it, which is made of 
a thick piece of leather, mostly made with tacks, 
riveted at the point end, after passing through 
the two folds of the leather. They have long 
knives, like those used by butchers, which they 
wear at all times and in all places, and use on 
all occasions. Their head dress is a large 
handkerchief, folded like a neck handkerchief, 
but twice as broad, and tied round the upper 
part of the head so as to leave the lower half of 
the hair bare, and going about two inches above 
the crown of the head, and with it forming a 
sort of crater. 

The females wear moccasons and leggings in 
common with the boys. They wear what is 
generally called a shroud or icrapper in English. 
It is about a yard long, and is nothing more 
than a piece of plain cloth, without any other 
making than two straps on the upper side, which 
are fastened to a belt tied round the body a little 
under the breast, and which keeps the shroud 
from falling down. It is thus suspended, after 
being wrapped round the lower part of the body, 
and overlapped about one foot. It goes down 
almost as far as the ankle, and ascends as high 
as to reach above the loins, so that when it is 
tied to the belt, the weight of the cloth makes 
the belt rest upon the haunches, by which the 
belt is preserved from falling down. They wear 
a sort of frock, loose gown, or bed gown, with 
a long waist, which reaches down as far as the 
middle of the leg. Sometimes they wear a 
handkerchief on their heads, but mostly nothing 



92 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

at all. The hair is generally plaited or braided, 
and the long plaits dangle on their backs and 
shoulders. 

They have something of dislike to change 
their dress, and the change sometimes affords 
very ludicrous circumstances. They are very 
choice in their clothes, for they always buy, 
when they can, the very best. We saw an in- 
stance of this lately : we made a shirt of coarse 
linen for one of the boys, who had only one; 
after he put it on he seemed to dislike it very 
much, and threw it off in a short time, saying 
it hurted his back. It was with difficulty we 
prevailed on them to wear hats. At first they 
would wear them a few minutes and then throw 
them away, but after a little they seemed to 
wear them like others. 

Nov. 20. — After Joeing here about six weeks, 
and having become acquainted with the Indians, 
I had some opportunities to form something of 
a tolerable opinion of their religious character. 
Between sixty and seventy of them belong to 
meeting, most of whom are sincere Christians, 
and walk worthy of the Christian name. The 
most of them have continued these five years 
firmly attached to the truth, both in their hearts, 
as far as we can judge, and in their lives. — 
There are as few instances of backsliding 
among them as I ever saw among white people. 
They are very simple and honest-hearted in 
their profession. 

It is surprising with what facility and accura- 
cy the boys and girls learned to sing. Two or 



INDIAN REJVIINISCENCES. 93 

three of the Canadian Wyandots came to the 
school, who had been somewhat acquainted with 
singing by note. They brought with them their 
note book. In the course of a few days several 
learned to sound the notes, and learned com- 
pletely the gamut. And although scarcely any 
of them could read or recite the words, within a 
few weeks almost all the boys could sing nearly 
every tune in the book. They spent the long 
winter evenings in this exercise, and so great was 
their proficiency in vocal music, that they joined 
as one, in congregational singing, and their im- 
provement tended much to improve the singing 
of the congregation. 

Their manner of sleeping in their rooms is 
worthy of a passing notice. We had no beds 
for them. Indeed they were not accustomed to 
beds, for every Indian carries his bed with him 
in his blanket, in which he wraps himself at 
night, and lies on the floor or ground. Every 
boy brought his blanket with him as a matter of 
course. In this he lay at night on the floor. — 
The room in which about twenty-five boys lay 
was about twenty by eighteen feet. It is a cu- 
rious sight to see the floor as closely spread over 
with Indian boys as they can well find place. 
The blankets, in the morning, are hung on a rope 
stretched across the room at the farther end from 
the fire, where they remain till each at bedtime 
seeks for his own, unless the inclemency of the 
weather urges them to wear them around their 
shoulders during the day. 



94 INDIAN REMINISCENCES* 



REMINISCENCE XIV. 

Naming the children — Strong passion of the boy« 
for hunting — Manner of sitting at meals — An interest- 
ing meeting — The Little Chief— Prayer meeting at 
Jolin Hicks' — Prayer meeting at the school house — 
Confession of the Little Chief — The school — Second 
quarterly meeting — School examination — School com- 
mittee — Rules to govern the school. 

When they came to school, they were without 
English names, and their native names sounded 
so strange and so harsh, and were withal so long, 
that we found it necessaay to give them names 
in our own language, with which distinction 
they seemed considerably pleased. The India* 
names seemed to be given them as a description 
of character, or as referring to some historical 
event of their lives. So, Between-tke-Logs, 
Bloody-Eyes, Lump-on-the-Head, &c., are no- 
thing else than a literal translation into English 
of the Wyandot words applied to these persons 
as names. Accordingly, when giving names to 
us in their language, they follow the same rule. 
They called me by a name that signified priest ; 
they called my wife by a name that signifies in 
English, The young woman, the priest's wife ; a 
young woman who lived at the mission house, 
and who wore about her neck a small red cape, 
they named Red-bird, in reference to the colour 
of her cape. Indeed this seems to be the cus- 
tom of all nations in their early days. So Adam 
means earthy or red earth, or in the likeness. 
Eve means life ; Cain, acquisition ; Abel, van- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 95 

ity ; Moses, drawn out. The same evidently 
obtained among the Romans, Greeks, and in- 
deed every nation. We named the Indian boys 
after persons of piety, or after those who were 
patrons of the mission. Among others we men- 
tion the following names, Wm. M'Kendree, 
Enoch George, Joshua Soule, James Finley, 
David Young, John M'Lean, &:c. 

The passion of the boys for hunting was 
strong and unconquerable. All of them came 
equipped with bows and arrows, in the use of 
which they were very dexterous. The bows 
were made of the toughest hickory, the strings 
of which were of the sinews of deer. It was 
rarely any would miss the mark. Their exer- 
cises for practice, when shooting at a mark, at 
an hour's leisure, were quite amusing. The 
attempt to excel, and the pride arising from 
excellence,were strikingly manifest. The rabbit 
hunt was an amusing sight. He who first saw 
the rabbit uttered the well known war whoop; at 
which every one in the company joined in the 
pursuit : and unless the animal was near his hole, 
nothing was more certain than that an arrow 
soon laid him on the ground. Squirrels and 
birds of every description were killed by their 
arrows. Whenever any one killed any thing in 
hunting, the first trophy of his victory was to 
tinge with the warm blood of the victim some 
prominent parts of the face, as the cheeks, chin 
and forehead. Thus from their childhood they 
are assiduously trained for the chase. 

Their behaviour at meals, and their manner 



96 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

of sitting, may be mentioned as a family regu- 
lation. There were, when the school collected, 
two tables that sat in succession. The older 
half of the boys and girls took the first table,then 
the younger succeeded them. The boys sat 
on one side, and the girls on the other side of 
the table. The oldest also sat at the head of 
the table, and so on, according to their age, to 
the youngest, who occupied the foot. The mis- 
sion family and the oldest children took the first 
table. 

Dec. 1, 1822. — To-day attended meeting at 
our meeting house. It is without any loft, and 
the two doors and three windows are open, with- 
out doors or shutters : beside the gable ends 
from the square upward are open. It snowed 
hard and blew hard also, and drove the smoke 
of the fire, which was in the middle of the 
house, on a place left without any floor for that 
purpose, through the house, while the cold freez- 
ing wind penetrated on all sides. The Indians, 
wrapping their blankets round them, sat down 
in a circle about the fire, seated mostly on the 
ground ; and when the wind would blow the 
smoke to any one side, as it frequently did, for 
the wind whirled round in all directions, they 
wrapped their heads in their blankets, and stood 
it out with the greatest firmness. About thirty at- 
tended, some being prevented by the stormy day, 
and others being absent hunting. I stood in a 
corner, shivering, and somewhat disheartened, 
and strove to preach to them. We had no per- 
son present but those of the Wyandot nation 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 97 

and myself. But on the whole God was with 
us, and perhaps we had the most profitable 
meeting we yet held. A circumstance took 
place which boded well to our Zion in this 
place, which is as follows : — A young chief, 
called The Little Chief, son to John Hicks, had 
formerly, in the commencement of our religion 
among them, been a zealous Christian. But by 
the influence of the head chief, with whom he 
was somehow connected by marriage, he was 
drawn away from the Gospel, and turned back 
to his old superstitions. In this way he travelled 
for some time. But he never could be persuaded 
in his mind that he was right, and turned back 
rather through respect to his head chief He 
could not, as he afterward acknowledged, find 
any happiness in this way ; and his guilty con- 
science was continually harassing him, as he 
was going contrary to its plainest duties, and to 
his better judgment. He therefore resolved, a 
few weeks, or rather a few days ago, to return 
to the Gospel way. At a prayer meeting last 
Wednesday, while brother Mononcue was ex- 
horting zealously, and perhaps pointedly to his 
case, he determined to forsake the old religion, 
informed the head chief of it when he came 
home from hunting, got married publicly, and 
openly joined again the Church. He went home 
to his house with these determinations riveted in 
his soul, and accordingly requested the privilege 
of me of speaking a few words. This I readily 
granted. He got up and told us that he was 
determined to serve God; that he could find no 
7 



98 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

rest to his soul in the way he was then going ; 
that the old religion was dying away among 
them ; and that he was determined to leave it 
and follow Christ. This was really refreshing 
to my soul : I took fresh courage, and, through 
grace, determined to pursue the good and right 
way myself, and gladly preach the Gospel to 
these dying fellow mortals, suffering all the 
privations of a missionary life. Oar Christian 
Indians rejoiced, while those of the old religion 
were astonished, confounded, and disheartened. 
After several exhortations and prayers by the 
chiefs, our meeting ended, having lasted be- 
tween three and four hours, which is the usual 
length ; for after preaching is over, then the 
exhorters give several long exhortations. 

Dec. 4. — Went to prayer meeting to John 
Hicks', accompanied by most of the school 
children, amounting in all to thirty-seven per- 
sons. With those that were already there, we 
more than filled the house. The house merits 
the notice of a description. It was about sixteen 
feet square, with round poles for joists, covered 
with bark, which formed the loft. There was 
also a covered porch at the end, about half the 
breadth of the house, and extending along the 
end. I commenced with singing and prayer, and 
then delivered an exhortation. Some of the chiefs 
exhorted also. The house was filled and wedged 
so close that few had room to kneel. Those 
who came last filled up the porch and even 
more. The door got completely filled, so that 
those outside could neither see nor hear us who 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 99 

were within. Our exercises were partly in 
English and partly in Wyandot. Those outside, 
finding themselves excluded, commenced a 
prayer meeting. This was conducted by Be- 
tween-the-Logs, who was late on this occasion. 
He commenced praying himself. His pathetic 
and melting strains of deep engagedness reached 
the inside of the house. The prayer was unusu- 
ally fervent and powerful, and had an uncom- 
mon effect on all. A number of persons, among 
whom were many of the school children, were 
cut to the heart at this meeting, and there is 
already every symptom of a powerful revival. 
Indeed the work is already begun ; how far it 
will extend is impossible to say, but there is 
every mark of a plentiful shower. 

Dec. 18. — This evening we had prayer meet- 
ing at our school house, at which a good num- 
ber attended, making with the school children 
a congregation of between seventy and ninety 
persons. I preached to the children on obe- 
dience to parents. Some of the chiefs exhorted 
and prayed. One sister, the Q,ueen of the Bears, 
prayed. The Little Chief, whom I mentioned 
on the first of December, spoke also, and said 
several very interesting things. After rising up 
he, with a good deal of deliberation, humility 
and feeling, made the following remarks, as near 
as I can now (two days after) remember. " I 
am glad (said he) that God has preserved us, and 
that I have the privilege of speaking to you. 
I was once doing well and following the Gospel, 
but through complaisance to the head chief I 

L.sfC... 



100 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

joined him in the old religion. I then knew I 
was doing wrong. All the time I was convinced 
that the Gospel way was the only true one. 
I attended meetings with the head chief, but I 
never could find any good in them. When I 
saw the people going to Christian meeting, it 
always brought to my mind my own duty, and 
what a bad part I was then acting. I looked at 
my father, (John Hicks,) and saw him walking 
according to the Gospel. How often did he 
exhort me, and tell me of my duty 1 How 
anxious was he that I should do right ? His 
words stuck fast in my soul. I saw him walking 
to heaven. I saw myself going in the contrary 
way. (Here tears interrupted his words, and 
perhaps he stood for more than a minute in an 
erect posture, with his hands covering his face, 
while the tears flowed plentifully down his 
cheeks. He then proceeded.) But by the help 
of the Great Spirit I have turned from my evil 
ways in part, and hope he will enable me to do 
it entirely. I went to the head chief to-day, 
and told him that I must leave him ; that I am 
determined to follow the Gospel, and turn from 
all my old superstitions. He told me that I 
might do as I pleased, and that if others also 
would follow the Gospel, he would not hinder 
them ; that they might choose for themselves. 
I intend for the time to come to leave off every 
wrong thing, and serve God. I intend to get 
lawfully married, and join myself to the Church 
of God." This man's testimony will be of 
considerable use, and perhaps may have a ten- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 101 

dency to break up superstition. Several of the 
Snake tribe were present, and it appeared that 
his words made some impression on them. 

Dec. 20. — The school for three weeks past 
consisted of thirty-seven persons. It requires 
the greatest attention to keep them in order. 
The care of this establishment affords me a 
multitude of cares. For there is the farming 
business, the school, the regulation of the fam- 
ily and the Church in this place ; every one of 
them affording its due quota of employ. It is 
a matter of much concern to regulate the fam- 
ily, viz. to get all up in the morning by day 
light, after first putting on a fire in my own 
room, attending prayer, setting the boys to their 
business, teaching them to put on fires, of which 
they are in a good degree ignorant, attending 
to them frequently while they are eating, to pre- 
vent disorder, sending them to school, after 
school hours regulating them, and frequently, 
about every fifteen minutes, going to the boys' 
room and keeping them in order. Beside a 
thousand other things impossible to describe. 

I find it necessary to pay attention to the 
school also, and inspect them sometimes a great 
number of times in a day. Beside frequently 
teaching either parts or whole days. 

The farming business is also to be attended 
to, so as to get the work done in due time and 
form. 

Together with these, it requires some atten- 
tion to the Church, consisting of about sixty- 
six members. 



102 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Dec. 28 and 29 were the days in which our 
second quarterly meeting was held. Brother 
Finley, who was to be present, was prevented 
by sickness. I repaired to the meeting house, 
which was six miles off, and found no person 
there, and after waiting till toward sundown, 
some began to come, and in a short while about 
two hundred were present. On such occasions 
it was customary among them to hold meeting 
two days and two nights, and encamp round the 
place where the meeting was held. According- 
ly, in a few minutes, several fires were made 
round the meeting house, around each of which 
a little company was convened, wrapped in their 
blankets, and expecting a great meeting. I open- 
ed the meeting by singing, praying, and preach- 
ing, at which God was present in a very gracious 
manner : a Divine unction rested on the whole 
assembly. Brother Between-the-Logs exhorted 
with uncommon zeal and effect. After this all 
turned in to singing, praying, and exhorting in 
English and Wyandot, and God was with us of 
a truth. The meeting continued till about mid- 
night, and then almost all went to rest, wrapping 
themselves in their blankets, and stretching 
themselves, some on the ground,round their fires 
in the open air, and others in the meeting house. 

On Sunday God was truly with us. It was 
proposed to those who were present, that if 
any were anxious of joining meeting they would 
come forward. Seven gave me their hands, 
among whom was the chief before referred to, 
son to brother Hicks ; another was the son of 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 103 

Mononcue. Surely this was a good time among 
the Indians and whites. Every face was wet 
with tears. The followers of the old super- 
stition were confounded and disheartened. Our 
meeting continued till midnight. Some shouted 
Oramelij orameh ! glory, glory ! and the meet- 
ing was carried on with singing, praying, re- 
joicing, exhorting, &c., some in English and 
some in Wyandot. 

The prospect of religion now in this nation is 
very favourable. There is every reason to ex- 
pect that all will embrace the Christian system ; 
and the whole of the old religion will perish 
with this generation, and that only a very few 
of them will continue in it till the end of their 
lives. 

Dec. 30. — To-day our school examination 
commenced, which was a day of much interest 
to us, and I hope what was done will finally tend 
to the establishment of the school. I invited 
the chiefs all to attend, and several other respect- 
able and influential persons in the nation. The 
head chief had formerly acted neutral in regard 
to the school, but seemed very well pleased with 
our rules and regulations. I found it very 
necessary to have the chiefs give the weight of 
their authority to our general rules for governing 
the children ; because, first, their having a voice 
in making them, they would come to the chil- 
dren with the greater force ; and, secondly, be- 
cause these regulations made by their concur- 
rence, would show them that we wanted to 
govern no otherwise than what would be for their 



104 



INDIAN REailNISCENCES. 



interest. The committee being assembled, we 
proceeded to examine the following rules, one 
by one, and after discussion adopted them. 

1. The following persons, viz. Between-the- 
Logs, John Hicks, Mononcue, Peacock, and 
Squire Grey-Eyes, shall be a school committee, 
to assist the missionary to govern the school. 

2. The missionary and committee shall have 
power to make such general rules and regu- 
lations for the government and employment of 
the school children, as they, from time to time, 
may think proper to adopt. 

3. No person shall be admitted into the 
school unless both they and their parents or 
guardians will engage that they will continue 
so long as to learn to read at least ; and so far 
beyond that as the person or persons having the 
oversight of the school shall think fit. 

4. No scholar shall be permitted to go home, 
or to any other place without leave from the mis- 
sionary, nor to stay any longer than he shall 
think proper to allow. 

5. The complaints of parents, guardians or 
others, respecting the treatment of the children, 
shall not be thought worthy of notice, unless 
complaint be made to one of the above com- 
mittee ; and if in his judgment it is worthy of 
attention, he shall convene the other members 
of the committee at the mission house, and have 
the accuser and accused face to face ; and after 
due examination, the judgment of the majority 
shall fully determine the matter. 

6. The missionary, and under his direction 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 105 

the school teachers, shall have authority to use 
such corrections as he may think proper for 
the purpose of punishing offenders and of 
preserving order. 

7. The missionary has not only power, but 
he is also required to see that all the boys and 
girls will be employed, both in school hours at 
their books, and in other parts of the day at 
such work as they can do, or can be taught to 
do. And he will also have power to cause them 
to be employed any part of a day, a whole day, 
or more, at a time, if he thinks proper. 

8. Any person refusing to comply with the 
order of the school shall be brought before the 
missionary and committee, who shall have 
power to reprove, suspend, or expel, such from 
the school. 

9. The missionary shall have power to make 
such particular rules and regulations for the 
conducting of the school, the government of 
the children as a family, their employment, 
&.C., as he from time to time may think proper 
to adopt. 

After these received the sanction of the com- 
mittee, the opinion of the chiefs, and particu- 
larly the head chief, was asked concerning 
them, all of whom acknowledged their fitness 
and utility for conducting the school. Between- 
the-Logs was selected to make an appropriate 
speech to the children, after the reading and 
interpreting the above rules. 

We then all went to the school house, and 
heard several classes say their lessons. Their 



106 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

progress in learning far excelled the expecta- 
tions of any one present. The rules of gov- 
ernment were then read and explained to the 
children. Between-the-Logs then rose up and 
spoke a very appropriate speech on the occa- 
sion, which I got interpreted to me as he spoke 
it, by an interpreter who stood beside me and 
whispered it into my ear, only some parts of 
which I remember. 



REMINISCENCE XV. 

Interpreting — Good behaviour of the Indians at 
meeting — Shaldng of hands — The Amen — Number of 
dogs — of horses — Marriage — Witchcraft — Painting 
their faces — The Wyandot language. 

The journal stops abruptly at the close of 
the last section. It was intended to continue it, 
so as to include the passing occurrences, and 
whatever of ancient tradition could be collect- 
ed. But at the time where it stops, an extensive 
and deep revival of religion broke out, and the 
labours that accumulated left no time for writing 
for several weeks. Beside, the writer left the 
mission at Sandusky, in February, and employ- 
ed the remainder of the conference year in 
making collections of clothes and clothing ma- 
terial for the mission. During the few weeks 
transpiring between the first of January and the 
middle of February, about 150 persons profess- 
ed to experience religion. The school also 
increased. These things demanded additional 
labours. Accordingly Rev James B. Finley 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 107 

took charge of the mission, and the writer spent 
his time as mentioned above. There are, how- 
ever, several things which still linger on his 
memory, tliat may be worth mentioning. 

Interpreting. — The mission from the begin- 
ning was blessed with excellent interpreters. 
This remark is peculiarly applicable to Jona- 
than and Armstrong. Jonathan could copy the 
preacher with the utmost precision. He was, by 
nature, an adept at imitation, so as to copy pre- 
cisely the voice or gesture of any person. So 
also in interpreting for preaching. Whether the 
preacher spoke in a low tone, and whatever ges- 
ticulations of hands, feet, or any part of the body 
were used, Jonathan would exactly follow the 
copy, and at the same word where there was a 
high or low tone of voice by the preacher, there 
precisely Jonathan would use a similar tone of 
voice or gesture, so as to form a complete imi- 
tation of his model. Armstrong was next to Jon- 
athan in the art of imitation. All the Walkers, 
too, were men of good sense and information, 
and faithful interpreters. And though they far 
excelled Jonathan and Armstrong in intelli- 
gence, they fell far short of them as interpreters 
for preaching, especially pathetic preaching. 
The mode of interpreting was as follows : The 
^ preacher first uttered a sentence. The interpre- 
ter, standing beside him, uttered the same in Wy- 
andot. The preacher then uttered another sen- 
tence, and this was given by the interpreter in 
like manner. Thus both proceeded till the ser- 
mon was finished. As Steward by preaching, so 



lOS INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Jonathan by interpreting,had the honour of open- 
ing the door of faith to the Wyandot Indians. 
Interpreting was made the means of conversion 
both to Jonathan and Armstrong. The same was 
probably the case with the Walkers and others. 
Prayer was never interpreted. Each prayed 
in his own language without any interpreta- 
tion. 

Good behaviour at meeting. — It seems to be 
a trait of Indian character to behave with due 
decorum at any public meeting, whether reli- 
gious or civil : a speaker is never interrupted, 
nor any marks of inattention manifested by those 
who hear. It is strikingly so at religious meet- 
ings. Every person, whether religious or not, 
conducts himself with Indian propriety. It is 
true, most of the men smoke during preaching, 
but never in the time of singing or prayer. But 
this causes no disturbance. It is a matter of 
course, an old established custom, to smoke 
while a discourse or talk is being delivered. 
The Indian will rise up, go to the fire, and 
light his pipe, then take his seat, smoke on, 
and all this so as to attract no attention what- 
ever. In short, his smoking is a mark of se- 
dateness, and he never takes his pipe out of his 
mouth during meeting, except for the purpose 
of singing, praying, saying Yattuyeh, or Amen; 
or in order to deliver an exhortation. 

Shaking of hands. — This is always used as a 
mark of friendship. And as every Indian is 
friendly to every person except his enemies, he 
shakes hands with him whenever he meets him. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 109 

Among the religious this custom seems to obtain 
to greater extent than even in common Indian 
society. When they meet for religious worship, 
there is a general shaking of hands. It is more 
striking when a congregation is nearly collected 
for worship, or even after the services begin. 
Before the services begin, those who come in, 
generally shake hands with all in the house. — 
And very often this is done with the preacher 
while he is preaching. If one comes in late, 
while the preacher is preaching, he goes for- 
ward to him, shakes hands, and retires to his 
seat, or sits down on the floor ; and all this is 
done without interruption or observation. But 
there is no shaking of hands in the time of 
singing or prayer. 

The Amen. — This custom seems to prevail 
among the Wyandots, according to the primitive 
Christian usage. If the preacher utters any 
striking truth, or any thing properly pathetic 
and important, then the well-timed Amen will be 
heard simultaneously from every man in the 
house, but especially from the aged and the 
chiefs. The word answering to our Amen is 
the Indian word Yattuyeh, It is true. At the 
close of the weighty sentence, each takes his 
pipe out of his mouth, and utters in an audible 
and solemn tone the significant Yattuyeh. In 
this there is no vociferation. Nor is it ever 
uttered except at the end of the sentence, so as 
to come in connection with it, to make good 
sense. 

Number of dogs. — Each family possessed 



no INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

from four to ten dogs. The breed had a large 
portion of the wolf incorporated with it. Dogs 
were necessary for them in hunting. They fol- 
lowed their masters wherever they went. At 
meeting, the number of dogs present was very 
great. Sometimes from ten to fifty got into a 
fight ; and when this occurred in the meeting 
house, as it sometimes did, there was no small 
stir till the battle was over, or until they were all 
expelled out of the house. The exclamation 
steeli, get out, uttered with an impressive tone, 
and well known to every dog, seemed generally 
to clear them out of the meeting house. When 
this had not the desired effect, the weight of 
John Hicks' crutch (as he was lame, he always 
had one) soon accomplished what words could 
not effect. He had a mortal hatred against the 
entrance of dogs into a meeting house, but espe- 
cially during meeting ; and when he was present 
we had very little annoyance from them. 

Number of horses. — Every person able to 
ride had a horse, saddle, and bridle. Some In- 
dians had a large number ; and all had one or 
more young horses, as well as a saddle horse. 
The horses ran in the prairies summer and win- 
ter, and they rarely needed any other food than 
the prairie grass, except when the snow was 
very deep. They were a small and hardy race. 
Their saddles were of the most costly kind, with 
plated stirrups and bits, and many trappings. 
The women used men's saddles, and preferred 
them. There were, however, a few who rode 
on women's saddles ; but then these were made 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. Ill 

SO as to require them to sit on the side opposite 
to that which women usually ride on. The rea- 
sons of this we cannot give. Their gait was 
sometimes a trot, but mostly a gallop, rarely a 
walk or rack. 

Marriage. — In the pagan state, marriage 
among the Wyandots could scarcely be said to 
exist. Their custom was, for a man and a wo- 
man to live together as long as one or both were 
agreed. But when either party was displeased 
with the other, or when a more desirable connec- 
tion could be formed, then they parted. In such 
cases the children belonged mostly to the mother. 
As they were divided into seven tribes, and as 
a man and his wife never belonged to the same 
tribe, there seems to have been some restriction 
on marriage. When any of them embraced 
religion, they became married according to the 
Gospel, and the man and wife lived together till 
death separated them. Considering the advan- 
tages of Christian marriage, in providing for the 
education of children, or preventing family 
broils, the sober part of those who did not pro- 
fess religion fell in with it. 

Witchcraft. — This reigned with uncontrolla- 
ble and deadly sway, until it was exterminated 
by the light of the Gospel. The infatuation 
common to every form of heathenism arms 
witchcraft with destruction. It appears that per- 
sons pretending to commerce with evil spirits 
were considered by the body of the nation as 
exercising malignant and destructive power over 
others. It is true that some in former times. 



113 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

pretending to be prophets, commanded some 
respect, But in consequence of the deception 
of some, and the pretended injurious powers of 
others, witchcraft, whether real or supposed, was 
deemed a capital offence, and punished with 
death. That there were real witches and wizards, 
or persons pretending to supernatural powers 
which they did not possess, but employed their 
assumption in injuring others, there is not the 
least room to doubt. Hence such persons, as de- 
ceivers, were under the immediate influence of 
Satan. Many were put to death for being real 
or supposed witches or wizards. Some did pre- 
tend to be endowed with supernatural powers. 
Others who did not were suspected. In either 
case a horrible death ensued. Every year, before 
the introduction of Christianity destroyed this 
dreadful superstition, several were put to death. 
The last that were killed on this account were 
two women. This happened two years before I 
was there, or the year previous to the coming of 
brother Finley as resident missionary. The 
details of one of these cases are as follow : — 
The woman suspected of witchcraft was con- 
demned to death by the head chief, Deunquat, 
the Cherokee Boy, and other heathen chiefs. 
The woman professed to be a witch, and would 
not give up her pretensions. The head chief 
was, by usage, to be the executioner himself, or 
to obtain some other person to discharge the 

duty. He commanded J B , a 

young Indian, and another of the same tribe with 
the woman J to put her to death. They obeyed 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 113 

his commands. They proceeded to the cabin 
where the woman was. She went to the door, 
and saw them coming. She returned and ex- 
claimed, with a horrid shriek, to another woman 
in the house, that two persons (naming them) 

were coming to kill her. J B entered 

the house and accosted her, saying, " Sister, I 
come, by the authority of our father, to kill you. 
Come out of the house before I accomplish this 
deed." She instantly obeyed. He then seized 
her with his left hand by the long hair, and with 
his right hand sunk his tomahawk into her skull. 
The other, with his butcher knife, mangled her 
in so shocking a manner that we forbear to 
describe it. They then dragged her lifeless 
and mangled body to a hollow place, and covered 
it slightly with earth, leaves, and rubbish. The 
hogs immediately devoured part of her, and 
would have devoured her entire, had not John 
Steward and some Christians interposed, and 
buried what remained. Whatever modern unbe- 
lievers may say, witchcraft, in some form, exists 
in every place, except where the light of the 
Gospel has done away those works of darkness 
which produce it. The Christian party always 
opposed every thing of this description. But at 
the time that this tragic scene occurred, their 
injfluence was too feeble to counteract the effect 
of along-established heathen custom, which was 
supported by the more powerful part of the na- 
tion. Steward always exposed witchcraft, and 
denounced the wickedness of [)utting persons to 
death for pretending to it. Brother Finley o[y- 
8 



114 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

posed it with masterly success, and gave it an 
incurable wound. When I was there little of it 
was to be found. The young man, who put to 
death the woman, came to school, and became 
a sound convert to Christianity. 

Painting the face. — This was a general cus- 
tom among the heathen Indians ; but it was op- 
posed by those who embraced Christianity. 
The most striking kind of painting was that of 
the face, with the appearance of rattlesnakes. 
By a reddish kind of paint, the snakes, with 
their scales, head, tails, and hissing tongues, 
were drawn always to the life, in bunches on 
their faces, writhing and folding in each other, 
and emitting their poisonous venom, so as to 
present to a beholder at first sight a most shock- 
ing spectacle. A few of these painted faces in a 
congregation made a singular and frightful ap- 
pearance. And when, in a time of revival, an 
Indian with his painted face became convinced 
of sin, and wept in consequence, the streaks 
made by the tears, across the heads, tails, and 
folds of the snakes, made a sufficiently odd ap- 
pearance. 

The Wyandot language. — This and the oth- 
er Indian languages have scarcely any trace of 
European origin ; while it appears pretty evident, 
that there are to be found in their construction 
at least some traces of oriental origin. As 
the Wyandot language was never committed 
to writing, there were several difficulties to be 
encountered in learning it so as to commit it 
to paper. The writer of these remarks found 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 115 

it necessary to learn some of the language, in 
order to fix upon the elementary sounds of its 
vowels and consonants. He soon found that 
there were several consonants employed in the 
English, which had no place in the Wyandot 
language, and that there were several vowel 
sounds for which there were no exact similars 
to be found in any of the European languages, 
nor in the Hebrew or its derivatives, the Chal- 
dee, Syriac, or Arabic. After examining the 
alphabets of these languages, he found it neces- 
sary to make one to suit the Wyandot language, 
adopting those letters in our own alphabet whose 
sounds were found in the Wyandot, and then 
using certain marks attached to other letters, so 
that there might be a character to represent 
every sound in the Wyandot language. Our 
consonants, 6, f, I, p, v, had no place in Wy- 
andot; and the strong guttural vowel sounds 
which prevail in this and every other Indian 
tongue had no similar sounds in any European, 
or probably in any oriental tongue. After hav- 
ing, with great care and much labour, formed a 
suitable alphabet, between six and eight hundred 
words were collected, and formed into a vocab- 
ulary. The imperfect outlines of a grammar 
were also drawn up. The Lord's prayer was 
translated, and carefully written down, for the 
purpose of using it at the conclusion of each 
prayer. The work of translating the Scriptures 
was begun ; and although only eighteen verses 
of the first chapter of John's Gospel were trans- 
lated, it might soon have been extended so far 



116 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

that a chapter or portion of Scripture could be 
read on the Sabbathj^ and thus, after some time, 
the reading of the Scriptures would have become 
a part of each Sabbath's exercises. It was 
moreover intended to translate hymns, and 
write some practical discourses, and to read 
them in the congregation for general instruction. 
It was also in design to collect a polyglot dic- 
tionary, and a polyglot version of parts of the 
New Testament, in Wyandot, Delaware, Mo- 
hawk, Seneca, Chippewa, and some other Indian 
languages; but the short time the writer was 
at Sandusky admitted of nothing more than to 
form the plan, which he had not the opportunity 
to accomplish, and does not now expect ever to 
have the opportunity. He is not only convinced 
that it could be done, but he also thinks it is no 
argument in favour of the skill and industry of 
the missionaries who have had such opportuni- 
ties, that the Scriptures have not been transla- 
ted, and grammars and vocabularies formed, 
though the work might never proceed so far as 
to make polyglot dictionaries and versions of 
Scripture. One manuscript copy of principal 
portions of Scripture would be of incalculable 
value to a missionary, as out of it he could read 
in the public congregation the Divine truths of 
our holy religion. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 117 

REMINISCENCE XVI. 

The Big Springs meeting — Journey there — Supper 
— Meeting on Saturday evening — Mode of sleeping — 
Between-the-Logs' account of his brother Bloody- 
Eyes' attempt to kill him— Meeting on Sabbath. 

It was on a Saturday morning, late in the fall 
of 1822, while missionary at Upper Sandusky, 
that I set out, in company with Between-the 
Logs, Jonathan Pointer, and some others, for the 
Big Springs, a distance of fourteen miles from 
the mission house, in order to have meeting that 
evening and the ensuing Sabbath at that place. 
As we passed along the plain, John Hicks joined 
us, and so did Mononcue and the Little Chief, 
who had lately left his own and the old head 
chief's (Deunquat's) heathen party, and em- 
braced the Christian religion, although he was 
to have succeeded to the head chiefship. The 
queen of the Bear tribe also, at full gallop, over- 
took us, with several others, making a consider- 
able company, in expectation of having a great 
meeting at the Big Springs ; for the Lord was 
then beginning to revive the work of religion 
among the Wyandots — every believer was look- 
ing for the overturning of heathenism, and a 
wider extension of Christianity. Several had 
lately abandoned the heathen cause and come 
over to Christ. We talked of our prospects and 
the progress of the work. We spoke of such 
things as the following : — One had come to 
meeting careless, and got under deep conviction 
for sin — another had obtained rich mercy in 



118 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Christ, and rejoiced in his salvation — another 
was on the hinge of turning to God. The head 
chief, Deunqiiat, and his chief man, the Chero- 
kee Boy, were said to be trembling for their old 
religion, for this neiv religion was about to take 
every body — the Little Chief was gone, and 
Bloody-Eyes was on the eve of going. 

We proceeded on our journey till we came to 
the Big Springs, by sunset, and, dividing our 
company among the wigwams of the village, 
we took the weeds out of our horse bells, and 
turned them into the woods to browse for the 
night. Black Jonathan and I stopped at Broth- 
er 's. (I do not remember his long Indi- 
an name, but it was something like Squaw-in- 
de-yu-rah.) When I entered I saw a fat ra- 
coon, skinned and well-dressed, hanging on a 
pin in the wall to my right hand. To the left, 
(the cabin was a large one,) was a bedstead 
made of clapboards, laid on two rough support- 
ers, about two feet from the ground. They 
received us with the well-known salutation, Tee- 
sha-meh — You are welcome. We felt ourselves 
entirely welcome. The good man and his wife 
were glad, very glad, to see the white priest, and 
black, jet-black Jonathan, his speaker. Very 
soon the hommony kettle was placed on the floor 
— the blessing of the Great Spirit was asked 
before any one tasted — then ihejerk was handed 
round — and the big round icooden spoon put in- 
to my hand, to take the first sup out of the full 
kettle — then it was handed to Jonathan — then 
Jonathan took the spoon and his sup — then the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 119 

father — then the mother — then the others — and 
then again I commenced another round — and 
thus it proceeded till all were satisfied. But 
He that gave corn, and the flesh of the deer for 
jerk, and the game, must be thanked, and his 
name blessed, and Jesus praise*^ for his grace 
and mercy to men. I thought on Homer's 
guests, and the patriarchs. 

A little after dark we commenced our meet- 
ing, at the house of Squirf^^'ey-Eyes, who has 
commenced this year as -" itmerant missionary 
among the scattered ^ttlements of the Wyan- 
dots, and some o^^ Indian nations. Grey- 
Eyes's house -^"'^^ ^^at Christianity was 
there • there '^^® ^^ hewed Jogs, the brick 
chimney, -'^f ^^' f ^^ ^^^a»''s. a teapot, cups 
and say ''^' *^^- ' ^"* "^ ^^^ ^^'^s as yet found 
amor "^^ furniture. Each of us, according to 
^^^ ^m, had our blanket with us, for the pur- 
-/se of wrapping ourselves in it at night, when 
makmg the floor our bed, with our feet extend- 
ed toward and near the fire. After singing and 
prayer, m which all joined fervently, I preach- 
ed to them in the squire's full house. A pow- 
erful breach had been already made, within a 
few weeks past, on Satan's kingdom, by the 
Holy Spirit. It was a time of awakening: 
much inquiry, several conversions, and omens 
indicating that a time of much power was at 
hand. After preaching we had several exhort- 
ations and prayers. John Hicks exhorted; 
Mononcue exhorted ; the Little Chief exhort- 
ed, confessed his sins, expressed his determina- 



120 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

tion to abandon the head chief's heathen reli- 
gion, and shun the familiar company of Deun- 
quat and the Cherokee Boy. The meeting was 
concluded by exhortation, singing, and prayer, 
by Between-the-Logs. 

Between tt^ and eleven o'clock we were 
ready to take some sleep. Black Jonathan, 
Between-the-Logs, and myself, agreed to dis- 
tribute our blankets so as to have one spread on 
the floor under us, ^nd the other two over us, 
and thus sleep all thr^^ together— I in the mid- 
dle, Jonathan on my rig^^^ ^^^ j ^^^ ^^^^^ q,^ ^y 
left hand. Just as we tu^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^j.. 
selves on the spread blani^^ ^^-^j^ ^^^ ^^^^ 
stretched toward the fire, and 1 ^^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^^^^ 
to recline, and draw the other two i^^^^j^g^g ^^^^^ 
us, Between-the-Logs observed to . ^ , ^^^^ 
interpreter, *' I will tell you a piece ol ^^ j^.^^ 
tory, if you are not too sleepy to hear L, j 
replied, " I will cordially hear what you h.^ 
to say." He then gave me the following narra 
tion, the interpreter interpreting it, sentence by 
sentence, as the distinguished chief gave it to 

him : — 

'* When I first," said Between-the-Logs, em- 
braced Christ's religion, my brother Bloody- 
Eyes was exceedingly mad against me for leav- 
ing the old religion, and for taking up with this 
neio religion. He often endeavoured to per- 
suade me to quit this new religion, by all the 
arguments in his power, as he loved me much, 
and was anxious for my welfare. I argued with 
him in this way : — * Brotherjou know that before 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 121 

I embraced Christ's religion I was a very wick- 
ed man, as we all were then. I used then to get 
drunk, and in a drunken fit I killed my first wife. 
I also was guilty, like others, of a great many 
other sins. Brother, you know these things 
were so. But you also know, brother, that 
since I became a Christian, Jesus saved me from 
these and all my other sins — and now, brother, I 
find great peace in my soul. My burden of sin 
was taken away. The Great Spirit came down 
into my heart. I feel very happy in being a 
Christian. I would recommend this religion to 
you, brother — I would recommend it to every 
one of our nation — it would do us all good.' 

" When my brother bloody-Eyes could not 
persuade me to leave this new religion, as he 
called it, he began to be very mad at me. He 
forgot all the good feeling that a brother should 
have to a brother. He came to the full deter- 
mination to kill me. He came to me, and said, 
* Brother, unless you will give up this new reli- 
gion, I will kill you.' I said, * Brother, the Gos- 
pel is the power of God to my salvation ; and 
Christ himself said. He that loveth life more 
than me is not worthy of me. If you kill me, I 
cannot help it. I cannot deny Christ. He 
loved me so well as to die for me, (and for you 
too, brother,) therefore I cannot forsake his 
religion.' This made him madder yet. He 
often repeated his threats, and I always gave 
'"ffi the same answer ; for God made me very 
jj^ng, and I found it easier to die than to deny 
^iour, who died for me. 



122 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

*'One day, while I was in my cabin, and 
standing on the floor, I saw a man at a distance 
across the plain, coming toward me. After a 
little I knew it was Bloody-Eyes — a little after 
I saw he was armed as a warrior, just as when 
he and I fought in the wars, side by side. When 
he came a little nearer I knew, from his walk, 
then his actions, and lastly his looks, that he 
was determined to kill me. I then thought, 
Will I deny Christ? My heart said, No, for 
the Gospel is the power of God to my salvation ; 
and, unless I am willing to give up life for 
Christ's sake, I am not worthy to be his fol- 
lower. If I die, let me die. Bloody-Eyes en- 
tered. He seized this long hair, (catching his 
hair in his hand,) with his left hand, and wrap- 
ped it round his hand. He took hold of his 
tomahawk in his right hand, and raised it up, 
as prepared to strike. He then furiously cried 
out, * Brother, unless you give up this new re- 
ligion, and come back to our old religion, I 
will kill you now.' I said to him, mildly, (for 
I felt very happy, and had no fear,) ' Brother, I 
have found the Gospel to be the power of God 
to my salvation ; and Christ tells me, that un- 
less I am willing to give up life for his sake, I 
am not worthy of him. Brother, if you kill me, 
you may kill me — but I cannot give up Christ's 
religion.' I went on to exhort him. His coun- 
tenance fell — his hand, that had my hair wrap 
ped round it, fell — his hand with the tomah? j 
fell down also, as if powerless, by his si^^Qjj, 
still exhorted — he began to appear m*- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 123 

fused — he did not say one word more to me — 
he stood a while longer, looked at me, and then 
went out of the house, and proceeded home. 
He has never molested me since. I hope and 
pray he may get religion. I have prayed much 
for him." When Between-the-Logs had con- 
cluded we laid ourselves down, and slept sound- 
ly until morning. 

After breakfast, at the squire's, the congre- 
gation began to assemble. Several persons 
who had some difficulties in the way respecting 
our Bible, asked me several questions ; among 
others, that they heard that I and the Protest- 
ants had not the right Bible. I replied, that 
our Bible was the same, in every thing material, 
with the Bible of the Catholics. I told them I 
was willing to use the Catholic Bible, and would 
preach out of it that day. I had in my hand 
Bagster's Polyglot Vulgate Latin Bible, just ob- 
tained from Mr. Loomis of Pittsburg. I ob- 
served that the differences among the Bibles 
were just like so many different interpreters, all 
of whom would give the sense generally, but 
they would use different ways of expression in 
telling the same story. Or the difference be- 
tween a translation and the original Scripture 
was just like saying a thing in English, and then 
Baying the same thing in Wyandot. I preached 
from this Bible, taking the beatitudes for a text. 
The Lord was with us indeed ; and after preach- 
ing, and exhortations by the exhorters, and 
other exerci§es, our inquirers, with several 
others, joined the Church. 



124 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Thus ended the Big Springs meeting at that 
time. There are many interesting narrations 
still fresh in my memory, which might not be 
unacceptable to my readers. I will examine my 
journal kept at that time, consisting of sixty or 
seventy manuscript pages. I have also a vocab- 
ulary of about eight hundred Wyandot words, 
some outlines of a grammar, an original alpha- 
bet of the language, with some specimens of 
translations. But perhaps none of these may 
be of great interest to the most of readers. 
There are also many adventures deeply indented 
in my memory, but not committed to paper, as 
was the case with that here given, several of 
which I think would be interesting. There 
might be mention made of the quarterly meet- 
ing at which Bloody-Eyes cried to God for mer- 
cy, as a penitent, when Between-the-Logs pray- 
ed for him, and where Deunquat and the Chero- 
kee Boy trembled like Belshazzar — also an ac- 
account of a sermon preached to a Mohawk 
woman, by the aid of two interpreters, when 
she sat with her baby in her arms, and wiped 
her teary face with her rough blanket. But I 
must stop for the present. 



REMINISCENCE XVII. 

The Mohawk Woman. 

The following occurrence transpired in the 
fall of 1822, on one of those pleasant sunshiny 
days that sometimes we are blessed with in that 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 125 

season of the year. It was on Sabbath day, at 
the rough log meeting house, then without door, 
window, stove or fireplace, except a hearth in 
the middle of the house, where the large fire 
was usually made on cold days, the smoke 
hovering all around, or frequently blown toward 
one side by the rush of wind through the door, 
(without a leaf,) or through the window holes; 
on which occasions I stood on the windward 
side, thus taking advantages of the circumstan- 
ces ; or, when this could not be done, to keep 
the eyes shut answered a good purpose. The 
meeting house was about six miles northward 
from the mission house, on the edge of the great 
plain, where it was skirted by a sparse wood. 
When we approached the house of worship, we 
heard these words fervently sung, with sweet 
Wyandot voices, " By the grace of God, I'll 
meet you on Canaan's happy shore." As we 
approached it sounded like heaven ; when we 
went in, the feeling was heavenly — it was all 
heaven. We might that day have called the 
rough smoky house Bethel, i. e. God's house — 
for it was his house. The meeting was opened 
with singing in English the following hymn, in 
which more than two hundred red men, with a 
few black and white men, heartily joined — 

" Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone. 
He whom 1 fix my hopes upon ; 
His track I see, and I'll pursue 
The narrow way till hira I view," &c. 

Then the prayer was offered up to God through 
Jesus Christ, in English ; but the Indians prayed 



126 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

in their hearts, and God was well pleased. 
Prayer over, the Indians sung another of Zion's 
songs in their own language, and we who did not 
understand sung in our hearts. The text was 
then read out in English, and black Jonathan 
interpreted it ; then another sentence was given, 
and he gave them that — then another was given 
— and thus we proceeded ; and frequently, when 
a weighty truth was attered, the utterance Yat- 
tuyeh, it is true, was heard from many voices, in 
a grave and solemn tone. When we had pro- 
ceeded thus about one-third way through our ser- 
mon, I noticed an Indian woman coming into 
the congregation, who appeared to be a stranger. 
She had a coarse, rough blanket in the customa- 
ry Indian mode around her. She carried a babe 
in her arms, fastened upon a board. She sat 
down on the floor with the other women. She 
looked sorrowful, earnest, inquisitive — not with- 
out much interest — she was tremblingly, though 
in sadness, alive to the whole exercises. After 
a while the sermon was ended ; then Hicks ex- 
horted ; then Mononcue ; then, last, Between- 
the-Logs exhorted, sung and prayed — I dismiss- 
ed with the customary benediction. The wo- 
man, I perceived, began to make inquiries ; one 
did not understand her, another did not under- 
stand her ; at last she and the last-named chief 
got into serious conversation. She wept, the 
tears fell on her baby's face, and she carefully 
wiped them off with the corner of her rough 
hairy blanket. After some conversation between 
Between-the-Logs and her, the chief and she 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 127 

and Jonathan the interpreter approached me. 
She spoke to Between-the-Logs, then Between- 
the-Logs to Jonathan, and Jonathan to me. 
This was the narrative and inquiry : "I am a 
Mohawk woman ; I heard that the Good Spirit 
was among the Wyandots. I felt very bad about 
my sins — I could not tell what to do — I cannot 
now tell how my heart will get relief. But I 
determined to come to the Christian's meeting, 
that I might learn the right way. I walked 
nine miles this morning, carrying this baby on 
my back, that I might hear and see for myself. 
My heart is heavy ; I did not understand any 
thing that was said ; but if you would talk to me 
as you do to the Wyandots, and pray with me 
to the Great Spirit, 1 think it would do me good. 
Will you make a talk for me?" The emotion 
of the occasion was too much to be gotten over. 
I dare scarcely now permit myself to dwell on 
these feelings. When I could speak — Yes, yes, 
I will preach Christ Jesus to you. But we were 
in a difficulty. She could not understand Wy- 
andot or English. Between-the-Logs did not 
know English, but he could speak Mohawk. 
The chief then proposed this plan to me : 
*'You preach in English, Jonathan will interpret 
into Wyandot, and 1 will then give the talk over 
to the woman in Mohawk." All were agreed. 
The Mohawk woman took her seat with her 
baby in her arms. I stood before her, Jonathan 
to my left, and Between-the-Logs to his left. 
The Wyandots stood all around. The fol- 
lowing passage of Scripture was pronounced, 



128 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

" Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
sinners." A sermon something like the fol- 
lowing, was spoken: — "Christ loved us so 
well, as to come down from heaven to save us. 
He was born of a woman, grew up to be a 
man ; he was like all other men, only he was 
no sinner, either in his heart or in his doings. 
He lived holy, and taught men the way to live 
well and do good. But the wicked took him 
and killed him ; but on the third day he arose 
from the dead by his own power, for he was 
God as well as man. The man could die, God 
could not die. When he went up to heaven, he 
sent down the Spirit to teach men, and to change 
their hearts. He also commanded his ministers 
to tell all kinds of sinners, that if they will 
forsake their sins, believe on Christ as their 
Saviour, he will save them from sin, he will 
give them a new heart, he will take the dark- 
ness from their minds, he will send his Spirit 
into their hearts, and they will then feel very 
glad. Jesus will keep them, and give them 
grace to keep away from all sin here, and, if 
they serve God, he will take them, when they 
die, up to heaven, where they will never have 
any sorrow, but be happy for ever." When an 
expression was uttered by me, it was then in- 
terpreted by Jonathan into Wyandot, and then 
by Between-the-Logs into Mohawk. When a 
declaration respecting Christ, his love and par- 
don, would reach her, by this circuitous route, 
then would the big tears run down her face, and 
besprinkle her infant's face, while it lay on her 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 129 

knees, or hung on her breast. When the emo- 
tions of her mind would admit it, she would 
wipe her baby's face with the corner of her 
blanket, while the word of the Gospel was go- 
ing through its slow progress of communica- 
tion. She drank the word with greediness. As 
we three were striving to unfold to her pardon- 
ing mercy through Christ, her agitated mind 
w^ould sometimes get so smoothed down as to 
indicate an earnest mental grasp after some ob- 
ject almost near enough to seize on. When the 
open door of faith was presented, and the urg^ 
ing of Gospel invitation bade her a hearty wel- 
come to Christ, she appeared as if she would 
throw away her blanket, and cast off every en- 
cumbrance, and enter in. Whether some one 
of the Indian sisters who were standing close 
to her in the crowd, and praying and rejoicing 
too, took her baby from her arms, and thus re- 
lieved her temporarily of its care, I cannot now 
tell exactly. However, something like this took 
place. From the expressions of her face, and 
the other expressions of silent language, mani- 
fested by her, we could perceive the sure indi- 
cations of fear and hope, and then joy, with 
some interruption. When the preaching was 
over I prayed in English for this poor woman's 
soul. The heavens were already open, but a 
larger blessing was invoked — the witnessing 
Spirit was asked for, and the joy in the Holy 
Ghost which is unspeakable and full of glory. 
Surely the Lord heard. Then Between-the- 
Logs was requested to pray in Mohawk, all still 
9 



130 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

kneeling. O how he prayed ! — with what earn- 
estness ! Though no tongue there could pray 
with him, except that of the Mohawk woman, 
every ]ica7^t joined. The unutterable groan was 
heard through the dense crowd of believing 
Wyandots kneeling around. 

Prayer being over, by the same circuitous 
manner as before, I inquired of her respecting 
her views, feelings, and hopes. The following 
is the reply in substance, as near as twelve 
years' recollection can be relied on. But the 
impressions of this scene are indented in my 
mind. Till memory be lost by old age, deliri- 
um, or some other cause, the recollection of 
this event will be recorded in my memory. She 
replied, " I feel light in my mind ; I can carry 
my baby home without being tired ; I feel glad, 
very glad in my heart : I believe in Jesus ; I 
love him ; I will serve him ; I will be a Chris- 
tian ; I got more than I came for." 

Such another privilege of preaching would be 
full pay for crossing the Rocky Mountains. Per- 
haps our brethren who are now on their way to 
the Oregon Territory may find it necessary to 
preach by two interpreters. This need not dis- 
courage them or their brethren, or be much of 
an obstacle in their way. God can make his 
word as powerful in the mouth of one or two 
interpreters, as if it were spoken in the lan- 
guage in which it is understood. I have no 
doubt this Mohawk woman obtained mercy on 
that dav 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 131 

REMINISCENCE XVIII. 

The Delaware camp meeting — Rev. Mr. Hughes — 
The Urbana conference — Conversion of Lump-on-the- 
Head — Administration of the sacrament. 

Mr. Editor, — Having seen, in the fifth num- 
ber of the Conference Journal, an account of the 
" Big Spring meeting," it brought to my recol- 
lection a camp meeting, which I had the pleas- 
ure of attending, near the town of Delaware, in 
the state of Ohio, in the summer of 1823, and 
perhaps a short account of that meeting, and 
the circumstances connected with it, might be 
interesting to some of your readers. 

At this m.eeting, for the first time in my life, I 
had the pleasure of uniting in the worship of 
God with a congregation composed of Indians 
and white men. The scene, to me being new, 
had a tendency to impress the circumstances 
connected with it more deeply upon my mind. 
There were about two hundred Indians in attend- 
ance, with your old friend Jonathan as their in- 
terpreter. As this camp meeting was held but 
a few days before the sitting of the Ohio annual 
conference, at Urbana, many of the preachers 
attended on their way to conference ; and among 
others. Bishop Roberts and the Rev. John P. 
Durbin. The Indian encampment was in the 
rear of the preachers' stand, while that of the 
whites, according to their usual order, was in 
front. In the congregation the Indians were 
generally seated by themselves ; and a more 
solemn and devout congregation I never before 



132 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

or since have seen : no circumstance that might 
occur could even appear to divert their attention 
from the great object for which they had met. 
The big tears that rolled down their red faces, 
and moistened their prominent cheeks, together 
with the hearty and solemn responses they gave 
to the important truths they heard, evinced the 
devotional feelings of their heart, and the deep 
interest they felt in the plan of salvation, as un- 
folded to them in the Gospel of Christ. Their 
prayer meetings, in the intervals of preaching, 
were conducted with the greatest order, and 
with a spirit of devotion seldom witnessed in a 
white congregation. The Indians are good 
singers, and their voices appear to be peculiarly 
adapted to sacred music ; and the deep and 
solemn tone in which they sung the high praises 
of God their Saviour, produced a most thrilling 
sensation on the minds of all that heard them. 
There was another pleasing circumstance 
connected with this meeting, which I cannot 
forbear to mention, as it goes to show that 
Christian spirit and feeling that ought ever to 
prevail among differentChristian denominations. 
The Presbyterian minister of that place, the Rev. 
Mr. Hughes, attended the meeting from the 
commencement until the close. He had at first 
intended to preach on Sabbath to his own con- 
gregation, as usual ; but having attended the 
meeting, together with many of his people, until 
Sabbath morning, his feelings became so much 
interested in the exercises, that both himself and 
his people determined to remain upon the ground 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 133 

until the close. Accordingly, after the close 
of the first sermon on Sabbath morning, he as- 
cended the stand, and addressed the congrega- 
tion, for a short time, in a very feeling and 
powerful strain of sacred eloquence. I yet re- 
member the concluding remarks of that ad- 
dress i—" My brethren," said he, (addressing 
himself to the members of his own Church,) 
" God is here : his presence is felt in this place : 
we cannot be employed in worshipping him in 
a better ; I will therefore recall the appointment 
for this afternoon, and we will continue upon 
the ground, that both you and myself may get 
good, and do good." With these remarks he 
sat down, with his face bathed in tears, which 
evinced that his whole soul was engaged in the 
work of God. When evening came, he was 
unwilling to leave the ground, but kindly invit- 
ed Bishop Roberts and Rev. D. Young to lodge 
at his house, (about half a mile from the en- 
campment;) and after having conducted these 
two aged ministers to his house, he left them, 
and returned himself to the ground, and there 
laboured, the greater part of the night, with 
those who were seeking redemption in the 
blood of Christ. A few weeks after the camp 
meeting, this devoted man -of God was called 
from the walls of Zion to that rest that remains 
for the people of God. He died in the triumphs 
of faith, much beloved and lamented by the 
people among whom he laboured. 

From the camp meeting we proceeded on to 
conference, accompanied by the Indian chiefs 



134 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

and several of their brethren. At this confer- 
ence, several gentlemen from a distance attend- 
ed; among others, Mr. M'Lean, (brother to 
Judge M'Lean,) then a member of Congress 
from one of the lower districts of Ohio. He had 
previously been skeptical with regard to the 
conversion of the Indians. One afternoon, 
during the sitting of the conference, Bishops 
M'Kendree and Roberts, and several of the 
preachers were assembled at Judge Reynolds', 
together with the Indian chiefs and the gentle- 
man referred to : after some time spent in con- 
versation on religious subjects, they engaged 
in religious exercises. While thus engaged in 
worshipping God, our Indian brethren became 
exceedingly happy, and appeared to be filled 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, for it 
was indeed a time of refreshing from the pres- 
ence of the Lord. The venerable old chief, 
Between-the-Logs, embraced every one in the 
room in his arms, and, with a heart overflowing 
with love to God and man, he hung upon their 
necks and wept. This Christian interview had 
a happy effect upon Mr, M'Lean. While the 
Christian Indian held him in his arms, all his 
prejudices gave way ; the statesman wept and 
rejoiced in the arms of a Christian Indian ; then 
he felt and acknowledged that God was no re- 
specter of persons, but that in every nation he 
that feareth God and worketh righteousness 
shall be accepted of him. What a delightful 
scene was there witnessed ; the statesman, the 
lawyer, the learned divine, and the simple, un- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 135 

taught Indian, folded in each other's" arms, and 
mingling their tears and voices together in 
praising him who had bought them with his 
blood. At this scene I have no doubt the Sav- 
iour smiled, well pleased, and angels rejoiced. 
Some of these Indians have since died in 
peace, and gone home to heaven. Many of the 
white brethren, too, have gone to unite with 
them on the other shore, and when a few short 
months or years are passed, I hope to join them, 
where we shall be for ever with the Lord. 

ADDITIONAL REMARKS BY THE AUTHOR. 

The above communication brings to my recol- 
lection the occurrences of the last night of the 
camp meeting, especially i\ie Indian prayer meet' 
ing, and the conversion of Lump-on-the Head. 
This Indian was a very grave and sober man. 
From the introduction of the Gospel into his 
nation he was convinced of its truth, and of the 
importance of religion. He entirely abandoned 
the heathen superstitions, and was a regular at- 
tendant upon the preaching of the Gospel and 
the prayer meetings. He reformed his life, built 
himself a comfortable house, with a brick chim- 
ney and glass windows, with a sufficient supply 
of household furniture. But he built himself 
up on the foundation of morality, and made this 
his strong hold. He found it difficult to come 
to the foot of the cross. He was not favourable 
to the warm expressions of ardent, experienced 
Christians. He thought it would do fully as 



idb INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

well to be religious without talking much about 
it. In short, he supposed, like many white per- 
sons, that to be telling of it was unnecessary ; 
but to praise God aloud, or shout his praise, 
was very unbecoming. During the camp meet- 
ing, Lump-on-the-Head appeared very serious, 
and indeed more than usually excited. On the 
last night of the meeting, the Indians, as usual, 
held their prayer meeting by themselves. I as- 
sisted in conducting it. After a little exhorta- 
tion, I invited all that were seeking religion to 
kneel at the mourners' bench. Among a number 
of others, Lump-on-the-Head, with a broken 
heart, came forward and kneeled down. We 
sung, in English and in Wyandot, " Come, sin- 
ners, to the Gospel feast," &c. Between-the- 
Logs prayed, Q,ueen-of-the-Bears prayed like an 
apostle, Mononcue prayed, so did John Hicks 
and many more — all prayed. Many white peo- 
ple mingled with us. Several white penitents, 
struck with the power of God, cried to God for 
mercy. There you could see white and red 
men praying on their knees at the same bench. 
Some prayed in Wyandot, some in English. 
Sister Finley was in ecstasy. But the greatest 
struggle among all seemed to be in the case of 
Lump-on-the-Head. At last, about eleven 
o'clock, he entered into the liberty of God's 
children. He shouted loud and long, so that the 
whole camp and its vicinity resounded again. 
Then he told Between-the-Logs of the amazing 
mercy of God through Christ to his soul. The 
news ran through the encampment, and the effect 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 137 

was like electricity. How the Indians rejoiced ! 
Several of them, who had previously stood at a 
distance from Christianity, yielded when Lump- 
oii-the-Head obtained the sense of pardoning 
mercy. How many, I cannot tell, but the num- 
ber was considerable. Among the white people 
the effect was nothing less. This Indian still, as 
far as I can learn, adorns the doctrine of Christ 
our Saviour. 

Another circumstance may be mentioned. 
On the administration of the sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper, the scene was truly heavenly. 
There white, red, and black men promiscuously 
surrounded the table of the Lord. I noticed, 
particularly, that Bishop Roberts and the Pres- 
byterian brother mentioned in brother L.'s com- 
munication, together with Between-the-Logs, 
Mononcue, Hicks, and several other white 
preachers and Indian chiefs, partook, at the 
same table, of the symbols of the broken body 
and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
These were scenes of the most interesting 
character. 



REMINISCENCE XIX. 

The second quarterly meeting. 

I THiNK it was about three or four weeks 

after the Big Spring meeting, that our second 

quarterly meeting was held. Brother James 

B. Finley was the presiding elder. We looked 



138 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

earnestly for him on Friday, but he did not 
arrive, on Saturday morning we were still look- 
ing out for him, but he was providentially hin- 
dered, as we afterward learned, and did not 
come 'at all. Preaching was to commence at 
twelve o'clock, at the old log meeting house, six 
miles distant from the mission house. I set out, 
in order to be there in time, with rather low 
feelings, and a little discouraged. I rode through 
the plain, frequently looking in diiferent direc- 
tions, in order to see if any were going to meet- 
ing. No one appeared in any of the Indian 
trails or narrow paths that led to the meeting 
house. When I arrived no person was to be 
seen of any colour. I hitched my horse, step- 
ped into the meeting house, and laid by my bun- 
dle of candles, (intended for light during the two 
nights of the quarterly meeting.) I also laid 
up in a secure place, out of the reach of dogs, 
my portion of provisions of bread and jerk, that 
was necessary for two day's sustenance. After 
praying to God, and mustering up all the faith I 
could, I stepped out, and walked a little distance, 
and saw brother Steward, a mulatto, the apostle 
of the Wyandots, riding toward me. He took 
the grass out of his horse's bell, for the purpose 
of allowing it to toll, took the saddle and bridle 
off his horse, and turned him into the woods. 
We gave to each other a Christian salutation, 
sat down on a log, and there he told me how he 
was led by God's Spirit from Marietta to San- 
dusky — how Jonathan interpreted — how Be- 
tween-the-Logs experienced religion — how a 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES, 139 

large number of others were also converted — 
how the word of God grew — how the heathen 
party opposed, and how they killed witches. 

Between-the-Logs had now conie, Jonathan 
came, John Hicks and Mononcue arrived, In- 
dians were seen coming rapidly from all direc- 
tions. What is the reason, said I to Steward, 
they did not assemble sooner 1 O, said he, they 
always encamp around the meeting house at 
time of quarterly meeting, and when they come, 
they stick it out two days and two nights with- 
out intermission, very much like camp meeting ; 
therefore they are delayed in making their 
preparations. They were now coming in rap- 
idly. The bells had fall play on the horses' 
necks. The horses themselves were turned out 
into the long prairie grass on the Sandusky plain, 
or ran browzing into the thin woods skirting 
the plain. In a short time the fires were kindled, 
the temporary encampments were formed, and 
all seemed activity and preparation. But, said I, 
it is late now in the afternoon — our meeting 
should begin. Our apostle responded, The In- 
dians are accustomed to provide supper in the 
first place, and the necessary supply of wood for 
Sabbath ; but the meeting is not to commence 
till night, for when it begins there will scarcely 
be any intermission. I agreed to submit cor- 
dially to their custom in this respect. So the 
preparations went on with new and increasing 
life. The partially boiled hommony was put 
into the kettles, brisk fires soon prepared it suffi- 
ciently for use. In companies here and there, 



140 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

all around the meeting house, they went to sup- 
per ; yet none touched till the patriarch of each 
little company had blessed the Giver of corn for 
hommony, and of deer for jerk. Then the big 
wooden spoons were used by the circle around 
the hommony kettle. I and the Wyandot apos- 
tle, and black Jonathan, and the chief Between- 
the-Logs, ate, with thankful hearts, the provi- 
sions supplied by Heaven. There were, howev- 
er, no distinctions of rank there ; all were equal- 
ly supplied, and all seemed thankful to God, 
whose name every red man blessed the second 
time, after he had partaken of his bounty. All 
things were in readiness on the approach of night, 
for the commencement of meeting. There were 
no tables to be removed, nor cups and saucers, 
or such things to be washed or laid aside. No 
table courses delayed us. The only delay was 
to pause solemnly, and bless and thank the Great 
Spirit for his goodness. I left my own provisions 
neglected ; the Indians supplied my wants, and 
I partook with them altogether. 

As night began to approach, the candles were 
lighted, and the house was nearly filled. I and 
black Jonathan took our stand together. We 
all first sung a hymn of praise to God. I then 
prayed in English, for we never interpreted 
prayer ; each prayed in his own language, but 
prayer was never interpreted. After preaching 
by the slow mode of interpretation, there were 
several exhortations. John Hicks followed me, 
with a grave, serious, moral lecture, yet fully 
Christian ; but, as to style and manner, such as 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 141 

Cato or Seneca would have delivered, had they 
been Christians. Then Mononcue, with strong, 
highly figurative language, such as Isaiah pro- 
phesied in, or such as Demosthenes^ used when 
pleading the oration concerning the crown. 
With all the vehemence and thunder of a Chris- 
tian orator, he would plead for Christ. After 
him, Between-the-Logs arose. His style was 
Ciceronian ; but the pathetic was peculiarly his 
own, for of it he was complete master. His 
gestures, as well as speech, and his subject, were 
all melting — all pathetic : under his eloquence 
hardness of heart always melted. His speech 
was not the utterance of thunder, like Monon- 
cue's ; but it first caught the attention ; then it 
got possession of the heart ; then it conducted 
his audience as with the spell of enchantment, 
to Calvary — to Gethsemane — and to the return- 
ed prodigal — to heaven itself But I forget 
myself now : at another time we will take oc- 
casion to describe them as orators, and com- 
pare them with one another. 

After the exhortations were all over, the prayer 
meeting commenced, and this was to last during 
the whole night, which accordingly took place. 
Many were seeking religion, and some had re- 
ceived the pearl of great price. The little 
cloud was enlarged ; indeed it had already burst. 
The prayer meeting went on. After midnight, 
some got sleepy, and wrapped themselves in 
their blankets, and went to sleep toward the 
corners of the house, and around the fires, while 
others continued the prayer meeting. After 



142 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

some time, those who had been asleep awoke, 
and commenced anew their devotions, while 
those who had slept none retired to rest, as the 
others had done. After midnight I wrapped 
myself up in my blankets, and slept in a corner 
of the meeting house, being lulled to sleep with 
the soft and sweet melody of the Wyandot sing- 
ing, as well as the plaintive and devotional tone 
of their prayers. A while before day I awoke, 
and in my turn joined in the devotions of the 
night. Toward daybreak all exercises ceased. 
When it was sufficiently clear to distinguish 
objects, I surveyed all around. The females had 
their separate places of rest, preserved inviola- 
bly from any intrusion. I especially noticed 
the men. In one place, near the fire, some 
were stretched in profound sleep. In another 
place, a little farther off, was one at his private 
devotion, anticipating the rising sun by his pray- 
ers. A little after sunrise, all were roused from 
their beds, by the general voice of prayer and 
praise that was heard from every camp. Then 
they prepared breakfast, as on the evening before 
they prepared supper, with this difference, that 
it was now Sabbath, and therefore the shortest 
method was taken to prepare the morning meal. 
About 10 o'clock a large congregation con- 
vened, among whom were many white persons. 
It was agreed that I should first preach to the 
white people in English, and then, by the inter- 
preter, preach to the Indians. This was done. 
After both sermons, I administered the sacra- 
ment of the Lord's Supper to about seventy In 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 143 

dians, and thirty white persons. This was a 
striking and solemn time indeed. To see In- 
dians, white persons, and Africans surround 
promiscuously the table of the Lord, was a sight 
worth seeing indeed. Here was nothing like 
war or scalping. Brotherly love reigned in 
every heart. The power of God was eminent- 
ly among the people. Sinners of every descrip- 
tion were cut to the heart. Many of the heathen 
were among the professed penitents ; and the 
balance of them, if not entirely penitent, were 
struck with awe, and wonder, and downright 
consternation. But I must reserve for another 
number the calling up of the mourners — the 
conversion of Bloody-Eyes — the trembling of 
Deunquat and the Cherokee Boy — the exulta- 
tion of the Christian party — and a variety of 
other particulars, sufficiently interesting to write 
and read. 

The old log meeting house, at which we held 
our second quarterly meeting, I suppose by this 
time is in ruins. Deunquat was the head chief 
of the nation ; the Cherokee Boy was a native 
Cherokee, who lived among the Wyandots from 
his youth, but at this time he was an old man, 
at least past middle life. Both of these were 
familiar — both were heathens — both were a sort 
of priests in the heathen religion, and adminis- 
tered its rites — but both at that time were pow- 
erfully confounded, and almost persuaded to be 
Christians — in short, both shook to the centre 
at this powerful, tremendous meeting, and after 
that day, as far as I can learn, they never tried 



144 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

to hold another heathen meeting. A word, too, 
about the meeting house. The west end had a 
door, without a leaf. The north side had two 
open windows, on which we hung blankets to 
stop the fierce blasts of the wind. As was said 
already, I administered the sacrament to Indians 
and white people. We stretched two rough 
benches within about six feet of the north side 
of the house, and parallel to it, for the purpose 
of administering the sacrament. We had not, 
and we needed not any other table. The power 
and glory of the Lord were there. When the 
sacrament was administered, I proceeded to call 
up the mourners, inviting them to kneel and seek 
God's mercy. Duenquat and the Cherokee 
Boy were seated close in the corner to my left 
hand, opposite me, or the northeast corner of 
the house, trembling — weeping — confounded — 
perfectly astonished. I stood with my back to 
the north wall ; Jonathan, my interpreter, was 
at my left — Between-the-Logs at my right — Mo- 
noncue. Hicks, Squire Grey-Eyes, the Little 
Chief, lately deserted from old Deunquat,formed 
a part of the same line. Sister Q,ueen-of-the- 
Bears, with several other pious sisters, stood 
toward the door, praying and rejoicing. Many 
sinners were cut to the heart. I commenced 
then to call up the mourners. The invitation 
was brief, but something like the following : — 
"■ My red brethren, we are all, by nature and by 
doings, sinners. Jesus Christ came to seek and 
save us. Turn from all your sins, and seek 
mercy through Christ, and he will bless you. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 145 

Come and kneel down here, and we will pray 
with you and for you. Thank God, here is 
one ! — here is another ! — you are welcome to 
the Lord Jesus Christ ! Here are two more ! 
Blessed be God ! Here are three more ! — here 
are twelve more ! Now the benches are full, 
but there is room enough in God's mercy for 
you — room enough in heaven for all. Now the 
others may kneel down and pray where they 
are — no matter where — God is near — Jesus 
Christ is near. Behold the Lamb of God that 
taketh away the sin of the world." Bloody- 
Eyes came among others, and kneeled down 
just before me, with the bench between us, and 
lifted up his eyes to heaven, crying, Jesus 
semcntera, Jesus, have mercy ! Just a little be- 
fore this time, Between-the-Logs, Mononcue, 
and Hicks went to the corner of the house 
where Deunquat and the Cherokee Boy^ sat 
trembling. Between-the-Logs stood over the 
head chief, with his arm around his neck, en- 
treating him to turn to Christ. Mononcue 
kneeled before him, and prayed aloud for God 
to save Deunquat, who trembled like Belshaz- 
zar. John Hicks was equally engaged with the 
Cherokee. Between-the-Logs did not yet no- 
tice his brother. We commenced singing, 
*' Come, ye sinners, poor and needy," in Wy- 
andot and English. I kneeled down beside 
Bloody-Eyes, who was crying to God for mer- 
cy. He seized me fast round the neck, in his 
earnestness and agony of soul. I then remem- 
bered what his brother told me three or four 
10 



146 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

weeks before. But the hands that held his 
brother's hair and the tomahawk were then 
clasped round my neck, and the bench between 
us : the mouth and tongue that threatened death 
to a brother were employed now in seeking 
mercy. I prayed in English for the murderer 
especially, and in general for all the weary sin- 
ners then seeking for God's mercy. But it is 
impossible to write these things — my talk about 
these scenes cannot approach a description. 
We prayed on. I entirely forgot what the chiefs 
were about, but 1 lifted my head after prayer, 
and glanced toward Deunquat. Between-the- 
Logs then turned his face toward me, and 
caught a sight of me — he also saw his brother 
beside me. In the twinkling of an eye he was 
with us — his arms around both our necks — all 
suffused in tears — all praying. After a mo- 
ment's recollection, I said. Let all the congrega- 
tion pray. Brother Between-the-Logs, pray for 
these penitents, but especially for Bloody-Eyes. 
Such a prayer ! — What intercession ! — There 
was glory there that could be touched and seen. 
What melting accents were uttered then ! — 
Between-the-Logs was directly before the mercy 
seat — then he seized on the horns of the altar — 
then he employed such wrestling as Jacob had 
with the angel of the covenant, and cried, I will 
not let thee go till thou bless my brother Bloody- 
Eyes. Surely God heard prayer that very mo- 
ment. If the sacrifice consumed with God's 
own fire, or the temple filled with the glory of 
the Lord, or the utterance of tongues at pente- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 147 

cost, declared that God was present and heard 
prayer ; surely it was equally certain to us all 
then, (and the conviction is now as strongly 
engraven on the tablet of my very soul as it was 
then,) that God manifested his glory, and con- 
verted the murderer's soul. The following 
verses, from Charles Wesley's unmatched hymn 
of Wrestling Jacob, come nearer than any 
other composition, to describe the struggle and 
the victory of that prevailing prayer of Be- 
tween-the-Logs for his brother : — 

In vain thou struffglest to get free, 

I never will unloose my hold ; 
Art thou the man that died for me : 

The secret of thy love unfold: 
Wrestling, I will not let thee go. 
Till I thy name, thy nature know. 
Yield to me now, for I am weak. 

But confident in self despair ; 
Speak to my heart, in blessing speak ; 

Be conquered by my instant prayer : 
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move. 
And tell me if thy name be Love. 
'Tis love ! 'tis love ! thou diedst for me ; 

I hear thy whisper in my heart ; 
The morning breaks, the shadows flee, 

Pure, universal love thou art; 
To me, to all, thy bowels move. 
Thy nature and thy name is Love. 

Among others also, who that day cried for mercy, 
was George Punch, chief of the Snake tribe. 
His face was painted over with rattle snakes, 
writhing and twisting in each other's folds ; for 
snakes were the insignia of his tribe. His head 
also was caparisoned off with feathers and other 
gaudy ornaments. When he kneeled before 



148 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

God in deep penitence, the turban fell from his 
head, and the feathers flew around and lay 
neglected. The tears rushed from his eyes. 

what a sight ! When he lifted up his hands 
and snaky face, the tears cut tracks, and made 
channels across the heads, bodies, tails, and folds 
of the snakes on his painted face. I exhorted 
him to trust in Jesus Christ, who bruised the 
big snake^s head. I belonged to the same tribe 
with this chief With him I wrestled with God 
in prayer ; and George Punch obtained mercy 
through the blood of the cross. 

But it is impossible for me to describe the 
scenes of that afternoon. God knoweth how 
many obtained mercy, and how many were led 
to seek him. The glory too is all his. To me 
belongs not even the instrumentality. In it I 
had neither part nor lot, except to see it with 
my eyes, and feel God's grace in my unworthy 
soul. Brother Finley laboured hard there the 
preceding year. And Steward, the coloured 
man, without money, outfit, learning, or human 
authority, was the apostle of this nation. The 
scenes of the afternoon cannot be written. I 
myself was then ignorant of nine-tenths of what 
transpired around and beside me. Some were 
exulting, and others in the depth of penitence. 

1 remember, however, of approaching Deun- 
quat and the Cherokee in the corner, but the 
particulars are fled. At any rate, a decisive 
breach was made that day in the ranks of hea- 
thenism. The wound inflicted was deadly, and 
from it there never was a recovery. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 149 

It is a cause of great exultation, that the way 
is opening to preach the Gospel to the Indians, 
and many have cordially received it. At that 
time there were very few Indians who professed 
religion ; but now there are several thousands. 
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to 
the Holy Ghost ! Amen ! 



REMINISCENCE XX. 

Big-Tree. 

When I was at Sandusky, Big-Tree was an 
old man, and much afflicted with rheumatic 
pains, so as to be compelled to use crutches. 
If my memory is correct, he embraced religion 
when Steward first preached among the Wyan- 
dots ; but he was even then an old man. His 
children, also, then grown to maturity, were 
zealous and active Christians, and indeed some 
of them occupied the useful stations of class 
leaders and exhorters. In the advanced age of 
their patriarchal father, they provided for him 
with much care. They took him from the 
little bark-roofed cabin in the bottom below the 
mission house, and built for him, on the other 
side of the river, just opposite the mission house, 
a comfortable, warm cabin, about fourteen feet 
square. They piled up wood for him at his 
door, ready to put on the fire. They furnished 
him with jerk and other game, as Providence 
favoured them. His corn for hommony was 



150 INDIAN REMINISCENCES, 

hung up in bunches, fastened to the round rough 
joists that were overlaid with rough clapboards. 
When the corn was husked, some of the husk 
was left on the ear, by which means the husks 
were braided together, and the corn hung down 
from the braids, and thus it was preserved in 
fine order. In the fall Big-Tree's cabin joists 
were closely strung over with blue hommony 
corn. He had a patch cleared beside his old 
cabin, which furnished him with his annual sup- 
ply. Now the brush and pole fence needed 
repair ; but his sons made rails in the fall, in 
order to fence anew their father's little field. 

While brother Finley was their missionary, 
he used to visit the old man frequently. On one 
occasion he gave brother Finley a noble treat. 
He broke fine the jerk, and put it in his old bark 
dish, mixed up with it also a good share of his 
best home-made sugar, and then poured on these 
a due proportion of his best bear's oil, and mixed 
up the whole by stirring the compound with his 
finger. Such was the mess prepared for brother 
Finley. Of this he tnust partake, or seem to 
partake. He shut his eyes, and with his fingers 
took some of the preparation — eat some — and 
made out to convey the greater part to some 
other place than his mouth or stomach. But 
Big-Tree ate. Yet neither touched till the mis- 
sionary blessed the Great Spirit for the jerk, the 
sugar, and the bear for oil. When the repast was 
over they devoutly prayed together, and parted 
with hearts glowing with the best Christian feel- 
ing ; although the meal would be viewed, by 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 151 

some, as not very desirable. The pastoral visits 
to this old man were always interesting. There 
was at every meeting a cordial Christian greet- 
ing — there was religious conversation : frequent- 
ly questions respecting experimental religion 
were introduced, as well as questions respecting 
almost every point of divinity — prayer must 
never be omitted on any occasion, on parting, 
whether the meeting was in his cabin, or beside 
a fallen tree, or at the root of a standing one, or 
any place where the missionary and the now 
decrepit Big-Tree would happen to meet. But 
these meetings were in or about the old man's 
little tenement. But when he ventured occa- 
sionally to ride to meeting, (being carefully put 
on horseback by his children, and watched on 
his journey by them,) he w:ould never require 
the formality above referred to, for then he was 
in public — but his cabin, the root of the tree, or 
the seat on the log, or on the soft grass on the 
bank of the Sandusky, was his private chamber^ 
where he attended to his private devotions, and 
received the visits of his religious friends. One 
cannot help associating with these visits the 
meeting and preaching of Philip to the eunuch, 
of our Lord to the woman at the well ; but still 
more particularly of Abraham entertaining his 
guests under the shade of the tree, or of Moses 
aiding Jethro's daughter to water the flocks. 

As I said, when I lived at Sandusky brother 
Big-Tree lived about three quarters of a mile 
from the mission-house, on the opposite side, and 
iust above his little corn patch and former cabin, 



152 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

but on the other side of the river. I set out one 
Saturday afternoon, after the school had been 
dismissed, for the purpose of visiting the old 
patriarch. One of brother Armstrong's sons 
accompanied me. We went down the river 
about one mile, and crossed it by scrabbling over 
a fallen tree whose tops reached driftwood ; and 
thus by cautiously choosing our steps we crossed 
safely, and approached toward the cabin of Big- 
Tree. 

As we approached the cabin we noticed the 
little porch was well filled with dry wood, pre- 
pared by the old man's children, an-d ready for 
the fire. The door was toward the north, the 
fireplace to the west, and his bedstead, made of 
rough clapboards, placed on two rough benches, 
and overspread with deer skins, was in the north- 
west corner, and came up to the fireplace, so 
that when the old man sat on the bedside, he 
was just beside the fire. We entered the house. 
He was seated on his bedside, with a tin pan of 
hommony on the floor between his feet, he had 
a piece of jerk in his left hand, and his large 
wooden spoon in the other. He cordially wel- 
comed us with the well-known salutation, Tee- 
shmneh. He laid down his spoon hastily in the 
pan, and gave us a hearty shake hands. He 
then, with equal speed, reached to me the piece 
of jerk which he had in his left hand, and reach- 
ed back his other hand, raised up the edge of a 
deer skin which lay on his bedstead, and from 
the deposite of jerk, there safely kept, he soon 
supplied the boy and himself, and placed several 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 153 

handfuls on the bed beside him, in order to draw 
upon them when we had eaten what we had in 
our hands. He then reached me the big wooden 
spoon, and invited me to partake of his hommo- 
ny, which I did with great cordiality. I then 
reached the spoon to the little boy, my inter- 
preter, who took his sup, and handed the spoon 
to Big-Tree, who took another and reached the 
spoon to me. I took another sup, and reached 
the spoon again to the boy, and thus we pro- 
ceeded, being abundantly supplied with the jerk. 
Both the hommony and jerk were quite palata- 
ble, especially as I and the boy were sufficiently 
hungry to relish well whatever kind of food was 
calculated to appease our hunger. As a mat- 
ter of course, I must return thanks to the Great 
Spirit, through Jesus Christ, for having so richly 
supplied our wants. 

Then we must have our talk about religion, 
which was considerably lengthy. The old man 
was much afflicted with rheumatic pains. He 
said, *' I can now very rarely go to meeting, to 
hear any thing out of the good book, or to join 
in prayer with my brothers and sisters. But I 
pray here alone, and God hears me. It is true 
I cannot bend these knees and kneel, for my 
knees are all pains ; but I strive to hend low my 
heart, and try to get humble inhere, (laying his 
hand on his breast,) and then my Saviour bles- 
ses me, and I feel very happy in my mind. I 
often think, too, of the time and circumstances, 
when brother Steward first preached for us. It 
was then that the Spirit broke small, like these 



154 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

little crumbs of jerk, my heart, and then the same 
Spirit healed it up, and made it anew, and put 
a voice in my inside, just here, (with his hand 
on his breast,) and this voice reached my ear, 
and I heard it say, All thy sins are forgiven 
thee. Then I just felt as a little child, and I 
called God my Father. I know I might have 
been more faithful ; but God still was good to 
me. And when the devil tempted me, I would 
pray to God, and he would deliver me. I ought 
always to be very thankful for the many bless- 
ings which I enjoy. Look up there ; do you see 
what hommony corn I have got? What I 
have hanging there will be sufficient for me till 
the new corn comes. My children also supply 
me with plenty of deer meat, and bear meat, 
and racoons, and sometimes they catch a fish 
or a rabbit, and give it to me. Brother, I ought 
to be very thankful because I have so many 
good things. A great many people have not 
such things as I have. Beside, you know my 
little corn field will yield me a sufficient supply 
for next year ; and my children have made rails 
to fence it. And it is very likely I will not want 
any corn after one or two years more ; as I 
think I will get home to the Great Spirit before 
two years. And in that place there will be no 
want of any thtng. Brother, I ought to be 
thankful to God for his grace to me. Brother, 
I am thankful, but I want to be more so. I am 
often very glad to think that I will soon be de- 
livered from my present weakness, and then I 
will not need these crutches." 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 155 

Much conversation, beside this, took place 
between Big-Tree and me. After our talk was 
over we prayed together, and truly it was a glad 
season to us both. If I have been correctly in- 
formed, brother Big-Tree died before his con- 
templated two years were expired. At any rate, 
I was assured he died in the triumphs of Chris- 
tianity. God wonderfully blessed his soul to- 
ward the close of life, so that he left the world 
in the possession of perfect love. 

Just as the above was penned, I cast my eyes 
on a paper, and found a petition presented to 
congress, praying for an appropriation to be 
made, in order to purchase the Wyandot reser- 
vation. It seems a hard matter that this small 
remnant of a once powerful nation cannot be per- 
mitted to occupy their little reservation, without 
being compelled to sell it. Why should they be 
driven from their homes, and the little residue 
of their former extensive territory, to gratify the 
accursed cupidity of white men ? Is there not 
land enough for us on this and the other side 
of the Rocky Mountains, without violently seiz- 
ing on their little spot ? Must this most interest- 
ing and Christian nation be driven forcibly from 
the lands of their fathers — from the ashes of 
Crane and Deunquat, of Between-the-Logs and 
Big-Tree ? If they are driven away, their ex- 
pulsion will bring a curse upon their oppressors. 
Such an outrage upon the principles of truth and 
righteousness is enough to endow the stupid with 
the gift of satire. If eloquence be wanting here, 
indignation, beyond that of Juvenal, will find 



156 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

words to express itself: for, Si natura neget, 
indignatio facit versus. God be merciful to 
our guilty land ! 



REMINISCENCE XXI. 

Council of Indian chiefs. — An account of it. 

What shall I do without a God ? I will inquire for 
the Gkeat God of John Sunday. — Skingwangkoonse. 

The following is from the pen of the Rev. G. 
Marsden, in a communication of December, 
1833, in the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine for 
January, 1834. Mr. Marsden was delegate 
from the British to the Canadian conference. 
The design of these reminiscences is, to show 
the power and necessity of religion, as well as 
to call forth assistance in behalf of Indian mis- 
sions in particular, and of the great mission- 
ary cause in general : — 

There appears, at present, a peculiar provi- 
dence in the openings which present themselves 
for preaching the Gospel of Christ to the various 
tribes of Indians on the immense continent of 
North America. While I was in Canada, I 
heard that a meeting of Indian chiefs, of a very 
singular nature, had been held in the month of 
July last : and that one of the converted Indians 
of the Chippewa tribe, resident at the Credit, was 
present at the meeting. Having an opportunity 
of seeing him during our conference at York, I 
desired him to give me an account of the meet- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 157 

ing; and the following is the purport of his 
statement : — 

The council of the Indian chiefs was held at 
the Narrows, by Lake Simcoe. There were 
present Christian Indians from Credit Mission, 
Grape-Island Mission, Rue-Lake Mission, Sah- 
geeng Mission, and Mud-Lake Mission. The 
Pagan Indian chiefs were from various tribes, 
scattered abroad between that place and the 
Rocky Mountains, some of whom must have tra- 
velled from fifteen hundred to nearly two thou- 
sand miles. The names of the Christian chiefs 
were, Joseph Sawyer, John Crane, George Pah- 
tans, John Crane, Jun., George Yellowhead, 
Thomas Shilling, Joseph Nainingkishkungk, and 
John Big-Canoe, with two Christian Indians 
who are not chiefs. There were six pagan 
chiefs. The council was opened with singing 
and prayer by one of the Christian chiefs. After 
prayer, the first pagan chief who arose to ad- 
dress the meeting was Shingwangkoonse, which 
signifies a young pine tree. He held in his hand 
a string of white wampum, (a bed of pearls,) 
which colour signified his present object, viz. 
searching after a clean white heart. He inquired 
first of the Christian chiefs, " Are you truly more 
happy now in your hearts than when you had 
our father's religion ? If you are so, I wish you 
to tell me. You see me this day, with this string 
of white wampum, come to inquire whether you 
are now more happy in the white man's religion 
than you were before." He then said, " I had a 
child, an only child, whom I loved much. This 



158 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

child was taken sick. I took all the munnetoogTc, 
(meaning his gods,) out of my maJishkemoodt, 
(his bag,) and placed them around the child, to 
see if they could cure it. I told them to leave 
none of their power behind, but to bring all their 
power with them ; but the child died. I then 
gathered them up for the last time, and I said, 
kewabcnenim, I throw you away. I then began 
to think, What shall I do without a God ? I re- 
membered John Sunday* speaking about a great 
God ; and I thought that I would come to this 
country, to see who knew about John Sunday's 
God. I have heard of many stars shining over 
my head,'"' (meaning the different denominations 
of Christians :) "I wish very much that some 
of you would give me information which is the 
true star. Just before I left home, I received a 
string of black and white wampum, and a toma- 
hawk, the blade of which was painted red. 
When I considered that although my arms were 
very long, and my body very large, should I enter 
into this war, I should be the means of spilling 
much blood, I determined to decline it, and there- 
fore made this answer : — ' I am now unable to 
render you any assistance in this warfare, having 
just commenced to seek after a Great Spirit, 
(KecJie 3Iunnetoo,) and feeling very poor in my 
heart.' " He then delivered the string of white 
wampum which he held in his hand, to Joseph 
Sawyer, the head chief present, as a token of 

* John Sunday is a pious and zealous Indian, now a 
preacher of the Gospel. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 160 

peace and union between the tribe of Sawyer 
and Shincrwangkoonse. 

Here it may be necessary to explain some of 
the terms which were used by the chief. A 
string of white wampum is a token of peace ; 
of black and white — of peace, but at the same 
time of distress, and requesting assistance. A 
tomahawk painted red denotes that the assistance 
requested is for war. The having long arms de- 
notes the possession of a large country. A large 
body signifies that he has many people in his tribe. 

The chief, Joseph Sawyer, then arose to re- 
ply. He said, *' I can inform you, that since I 
got this good religion in my heart, I have had 
more true happiness in one day, than I ever 
enjoyed before in all my life. I wish you to 
look for yourself which star is best. You see 
this village built since we got this religion ; you 
see this school house ; and the change from 
drunkenness to sobriety. And could you visit 
our village at the Credit River, you would see 
a great many good houses, a chapel, a school 
house, a work shop, a saw mill, and many other 
improvements." After Joseph Sawyer, the other 
Christian chiefs spoke equally in favour of the 
Christian religion. 

Before the council closed, all the pagan chiefs 
said, " Send us teachers and missionaries, and 
we will worship as you worship." They farther 
said, " Be sure to send us books, missionaries, 
and teachers, next year, and our people will 
listen to them." 

This highly pleasing and important statement 



jr>0 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

was given to me by Pahtahsegaih, or, according 
to his baptismal name, Peter Jacobs. In addi- 
tion to this interesting account, I heard, while in 
America, of several other remarkable proofs 
that God is influencing the hearts of the Indians, 
and leading them to inquire after the salvation 
of the Gospel. Surely the time, yea, the set 
time, is come, for the savage tribes of America 
to be gathered into the fold and family of God. 



REMINISCENCE XXII. 

Between-the-Logs. 

His name is a literal translation of his Wy- 
andot name, which is the word used to signify 
a hear in that language, and means in its radical 
import, to crouch bctiveeri the logs, because this 
animal sometimes lies down between the logs. 
Hence, as this chief belonged to the Bear tribe, 
the name given him is the distinctive name of 
his tribe, the Bear tribe, which is one of the 
seven tribes into which the nation is divided. 

He is said to have been born about 1780, in 
the neighbourhood of liOwer Sa,ndusky. His 
father was a Seneca, but his mother was a Wy- 
andot of the Bear tribe. And as the line of 
descent, among the Indians, is by the mother, 
independent of the father, Between-the-Logs 
was both by birth and natural civil right a 
JVyandot and a member of the Bear tribe. 
When he was eight or nine years old, his father 
and mother parted. This was very often done ; 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 161 

for marriage among them continues no longer 
than while both are agreed ; and when misun- 
derstandings arise, separation ensues. Then, for 
the most part, the mother takes all the children. 
But in this case, the young Between-the-Logs 
was taken by the father, with whom he lived 
till the old man's death. At this time he had 
nearly arrived at maturity. From his father 
and the Senecas he obtained a perfect knowl- 
edge of the Seneca language. He afterward 
added a knowledge of the Mohawk, Shawnee, 
Delaware, and several other Indian languages; 
on account of which he became interpreter gen- 
eral of councils and embassies. 

After the death of his father, he returned to 
live with his mother, among the Wyandots. 
Of the particulars of his life previous to this 
time, little is known. Shortly after his return 
to his mother, he joined the Indian warriors, and 
with them suffered a defeat with Gen. Wayne. 
At this time his residence was at Lower San- 
dusky. His enterprising and persevering dis- 
position, his prompt obedience to the commands 
of the chief, his known talents and eloquence, 
his knowledge of so many languages, his faith- 
ful discharge of whatever was assigned him, in 
brief, his acknowledged superior abilities every 
way, called him into public notice in his own 
nation, and gave him celebrity among the most 
distinguished chiefs of other Indian nations. 
These qualifications, connected with a sound 
judgment, soon procured for him the chiefship 
of the Bear tribe. And in consequence of hia 
U 



162 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

eloquence and uncommon memory, he became 
chief speaker of his nation, and the intimate 
friend and counsellor of the head chief. 

When he was about twenty-five years of age 
he was sent to ascertain the preteilsions and 
doctrines of the Shawnee prophet, whose im- 
posture he soon detected, and whose religion 
and deceit he describes as follows. After 
speaking of the fallacy of the Roman Catholic 
religion, he says : — " Then the Shawnee prophet 
arose, and pretended he had conversed with our 
Great Father, and that he had told him what 
Indians ought to do ; and we heard and followed 
him. To be sure he told us many good things 
with the bad : he told us it was wrong to drink 
whisky ; but after awhile we saw he was like 
the Roman priest ; he would tell us we must 
not do things, and he would do them himself" 
Concerning the Seneca prophet, Between-the- 
Logs speaks as follows, after stating how they 
were deceived by former false teachers : — '' Af- 
ter some time, then the Seneca prophet arose, 
and we all heard, and followed him a little 
while : but by this time we were very jealous, 
and watched him very close, and found him 
like our former teachers ; so we left him, and 
were again misled. By this time we began to 
think that our own religion was a great deal 
the best, and we made another trial to establish 
ourselves in it, and had made some progress. 
Then the war broke out between our father, the 
president, and King George, and our nation 
was for war, and every man wanted to be big 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 163 

man. Then we drink whisky, and fight, and 
when the war was ended, we were all scattered, 
and many killed." 

Shortly after his return from this prophet, 
the late war between the United States and 
Great Britain, in 1812, commenced. There are 
several historical incidents connected with the 
actions of our chief, that will be necessary to 
describe briefly in order that we may have a 
correct view of his talents and character. At 
this time the great body of the Wyandots lived 
at Upper Sandusky ; about sixty of them lived 
near Maiden in Canada; and about two hundred 
and fifty on the American shore, nearly opposite 
the British post at the mouth of the Detroit river. 
Tarhe, or the Crane, an aged and venerable 
man, of the Porcupine tribe, was then the head 
chief of the nation. He lived at Upper San- 
dusky, about one hundred miles from the mouth 
of the Detroit river. When the Crane became 
{satisfied that a war was inevitable, he convened 
a general council at Brownstown ; and, alarmed 
at the situation of his own people, he attended 
in person with his confidential friend Between- 
the-Logs, and with the principal Shawnese chief, 
Black-Hoof At this council, the Potawato- 
mies, the Chippewas, and Ottawas, solicited the 
Wyandots to take hold of the British hatchet. 
Walk-in-the-Water, who was at the head of the 
Wyandots on the American side at Detroit, and 
was the chief speaker of the nation at that 
time, answered ; — *' No, we will not take up 
ihe hatchet against our father the Long-Knife, 



164 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

Our two fathers are about to fight, but we red 
men have no concern in their quarrel, and it is 
best for us to sit still and remain neutral." 
This advice was approved by the Indians, but 
it was violently opposed by the British. At a 
council convened at Maiden, Elliott, the British 
Indian agent, and the British commanding offi- 
cer, demanded of the Wyandots whether they 
had advised the other tribes to remain neutral. 
To this, Walk-in-the Water answered : — " We 
have, and we believe it is best for us and for our 
brethren. We have no wish to be involved in 
a war with our father, the Long-Knife, for we 
know by experience that we have nothing to 
gain by it, and we beg our father, the British, 
not to force us to war. We remember, in the 
former war between our fathers, the British and 
the Long-Knife, we were both defeated, and we, 
the red men, lost our country ; and you, our 
father, the British, made peace with the Long- 
Knife without our knowledge, and you gave our 
country to him. You still said to us, my chil- 
dren, you must fight for your country, for the 
Long-Knife will take it from you. We did as 
you advised us, and we were defeated with the 
loss of our best chiefs and warriors, and of our 
land. And we still remember your conduct 
toward us when we were defeated at the foot of 
the rapids of the Miami. We sought safety for 
our wounded in your fort. But what was your 
conduct ? You closed your gates against us, 
and we had to retreat the best way we could. 
And then we made peace with the Americans, 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 165 

and have enjoyed peace with them ever since. 
And now you wish us, your red children, again 
to take up the hatchet against our father, the 
Long-Knife. We say again, we do ntDt wish to 
have any thing to do with the war. Fight your 
own battles, but let us, your red children, enjoy 
peace." 

This speech so enraged the British that they 
shortly after sent a strong detachment of armed 
men, surrounded and took prisoners the Browns- 
town Wyandots, compelled them to embark in 
their boats, and then carried them to Maiden 
on the Canada side. 

About a year after this, the Crane proposed 
to general Harrison, who was then encamped 
with his army at Seneca, that an embassy should 
be sent by the Wyandots, to their brethren in 
the British camp, and to all the Indians who 
adhered to the British cause, advising them to 
consult their true interest, and retire to their 
country. This was approved by the general, 
and the Crane was requested to take such steps 
as appeared most proper to give effect to the 
undertaking. 

The Crane took immediate measures to ac- 
complish the design. He appointed Between- 
the-Logs the ambassador, and a small escort of 
eight warriors, commanded by Skaoteash, the 
principal war chief of the nation, was selected 
to accompany him. Two speeches were sent 
by the Crane, one to be delivered privately to 
his own people, and the other publicly to the 
British Indians. Hazardous as this undertaking 



J66 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

was, Betvveen-the-Logs entered upon it with un- 
daunted courage, determined to accomplish the 
embassy or perish in the attempt. Indeed he 
always risked his life on every proper occasion, 
for the benefit of his nation, or for the sake of 
religion, after he became Christian. 

The Wyandot embassy arrived at Browns- 
town in safety, and the following morning a 
general council was assembled to hear the mes- 
sage from their uncle the Wyandot ; for the ti- 
tle uncle was given from time immemorial to the 
Wyandots, as a mark of peculiar respect, and a 
proof of the acknowledged superiority of their 
nation. The multitude assembled was very 
large. Elliott and M'Kee, the British agents, 
were present. In the midst of this host of ene- 
mies, and with unshaken firmness, Between- 
the-Logs arose, and delivered without a falter 
or variation the following speech from the Crane, 
which had been entrusted to him : — 

*' Brothers, the red men, who are engaged in 
fighting for the British king, listen ! These 
words are from me, Tarhe, and they are also 
the words of the Wyandots, Delawares, Shaw- 
nese, and Senecas. *• 

" Our American father has raised his war 
pole, and collected a large army of his warriors. 
They will soon march to attack the British. 
He does not wish to destroy his red children, 
their wives, and families. He wishes you to 
separate yourselves from the British, and bury 
the hatcJiet you have raised. He will be mer- 
ciful to you. You can then return to your own 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 167 

lauds, and hunt the game, as you formerly did. 
1 request you to consider your situation, and act 
wisely in this important matter ; and not wan- 
tonly destroy your own people. Brothers, who- 
ever feels disposed to accept this advice will 
come forward and take hold of this belt of wam- 
pum, which I have in my hand and offer to you. 
I hope you will not refuse to accept it in the 
presence of your British father, for you are in- 
dependent of him. Brothers, we have done, and 
we hope you will decide wisely." 

Not a hand moved to accept the offered 
pledge of peace. The spell was too potent to 
be broken by charms like these ; but Round- 
Head arose, and addressed the embassy. 

'' Brothers,the Wyandots from the Americans, 
we have heard your talk, and will not listen to 
it. We will not forsake the standard of our 
British father, nor lay down the hatchet we 
have raised. I speak the sentiments of all now 
present, and I charge you, that you faithfully 
deliver our talk to the American commander, 
and tell him it is our wish he would send more 
men against us, for all that has passed between 
us, I do not call fighting. We are not satisfied 
with the number of men he sends to contend 
against us. We want to fight in good earnest." 

Elliott then spoke. " My children, as you 
now see that my children here are determined 
not to forsake the cause of their British father, 
I wish you to carry a message back with you. 
Tell my wife, your American father, that I want 
her to cook the provisions for me, and my red 



16S INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

children, more faithfully than she has done. 
She has not done her duty. And if she receives 
this as an insult, and feels disposed to fight, tell 
her to bring more men than she ever brought 
before, as our former skirmishes I do not call 
fighting. If she wishes to fight with me and 
jTiy children, she must not burrow in the earth 
like a ground hog, where she is inaccessible. 
She must come out and fight fairly," 

To this, Between-the-Logs replied, " Broth- 
ers, I am directed by my American father to 
inform you, that if you reject the advice given 
you, he will march here with a large army, and 
if he should find any of the red people opposing 
him in his passage through this country, he 
will trample them under his feet. You cannot 
stand before him. 

" And now for myself, I earnestly entreat you 
to consider the good talk I have brought, and 
listen to it. Why would you devote yourselves, 
your women, and your children, to destruction ? 
Let me tell you, if you should defeat the Amer- 
ican army this time, you have not done. An- 
other will come on, and if you defeat that, still 
another will appear, that you cannot withstand ; 
one that will come like the waves of the great 
water, and overwhelm you, and sweep you 
from the face of the earth. If you doubt the 
account I give of the force of the Americans, 
you can send some of your people, in whom 
you have confidence, to examine their army 
and navy. They shall be permitted to return 
in safety. The truth is, your British father de- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 169 

ceives you. He boasts of the few victories he 
gains, but he never tells you of his defeats, of 
his armies, being slaughtered and his vessels 
taken on the big water. He keeps- all these 
things to himself 

" And now, father, let me address a few words 
to you. Your request shall be granted. I will 
bear your message to my American father. It 
is true, none of your children appear willing to 
forsake your standard, and it will be the worse 
for them. You compare the Americans to 
ground hogs, and complain of their mode of 
fighting. I must confess, that a ground hog is 
a very difficult animal to contend with. He has 
such sharp teeth, such an inflexible temper, and 
such an unconquerable spirit, that he is truly a 
dangerous enemy, especially when he is in his 
own hole. But, father, let me tell you, you can 
have your wish. Before many days you will 
see the ground hog come floating on yonder 
lake, paddling his canoe toward your hole ; and 
then, father, you will have an opportunity of 
attacking your formidable enemy in any way 
you may think best." 

This speech terminated the proceedings of 
the council. All the Indians, except the Wy- 
andots, dispersed ; but they secretly assembled 
to hear the message sent to them by their own 
chief By this speech the Wyandots were 
directed to quit the British. This message was 
faithfully delivered to the Wyandots, and pro- 
duced its full effect. They requested Between- 
the-Logs to inform the Crane, that they were 



170 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

in fact prisoners, but that they had taken firm 
hold of his belt of wampum, and would not fire 
another gun. They promised, that on the ad- 
vance of the American army, they would quit 
the British troops, as soon as it was safe to 
take that decisive measure. Shortly after they 
did so a few miles from the river Tranch, and 
retired into the forest. Thence they sent a mes- 
sage to General Harrison, informing him of their 
design. After this, the Wyandots assisted the 
Americans. 

The facts connected with this embassy we 
received from Mr. Walker, a white man of in- 
telligence, and from his wife, a respectable and 
intelligent half Wyandot woman, and their two 
sons, Isaac and William, The former, now 
dead, was public interpreter at Upper Sandusky, 
the latter was teacher of the missionary school 
at that place, and is now post-master. Both 
are well educated, intelligent, and men of un- 
doubted integrity. They and their father and 
mother were with the Wyandots of Brownstown, 
and were taken across the Detroit River. And 
they were all present at the great council where 
Between-the-Logs delivered his speech. Mr. 
Stickney, then United States agent for the Wy- 
andots, bears witness to the same facts. And a 
writer in the North American Review, to whom 
we are indebted for an interesting narrative of 
this nation, says he was present when the am- 
bassador received his instructions, and heard the 
Crane, when he made his report to General 
Harrison of the result. 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 171 

When General Harrison invaded Canada, 
Betvveen-the-Logs, accompanied with a party of 
"Wyandot chiefs and warriors, attended him ; 
but his attention was directed principally toward 
bringing over the scattered Wyandots, yet in 
Canada, to the American interests, which he 
successfully accomplished. 

After the war he became permanently settled 
in the neighbourhood of Upper Sandusky. He 
now sometimes indulged to excess in drinking 
spirits ; on such occasions the wicked principle 
entirely got the better of his good sense. In 
one of these excesses he killed his first wife. 
A survey of this act, on the return of soberness, 
made such a deep impression on his mind that 
he almost entirely abandoned the use of ardent 
spirits ever after. From strong impressions of 
the necessity of a preparation for another world, 
he was led, even before he embraced Chris- 
tianity, to exhort his fellow creatures to right- 
eousness. 

In 1817 a new field opened for the display 
of his talents. The United States having made 
arrangements to extinguish the Indian titles to 
the lands in Ohio, commissioners were sent to 
treat with the Indians on this subject. The 
Wyandots refused to sell their land ; but the 
Chippewas, Potawatomies, and lowas, without 
any just title, claimed a great part of their 
land, and Gabriel Godfrey, and Whitmore 
Knaggs, Indian agents for the three nations, 
proposed in open council, in behalf of the Chip- 
pewas, &/C. to sell the lands claimed by the Wy- 



172 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

andots ; and the commissioners declared, that if 
the Wyandots did not sell, they would buy the 
land from the others. Between-the-Logs firmly 
opposed all these measures ; but however just 
his cause, and conclusive his arguments, they 
were in vain, with men determined to pursue 
their course, right or wrong. The Wyandots, 
finding themselves so circumstanced, and being 
unable to help themselves, concluded to do the 
best they could, and sign the treaty ; yet with an 
expectation of obtaining redress from govern- 
ment, by representing the state of things to the 
president, before the treaty would be ratified. 
In resorting to this course, Between-the-Logs 
acted a principal part. Accordingly he, with the 
Wyandot chief, and a delegation from the Dela- 
wares, and Senecas, immediately proceeded to 
Washington, without consulting the Indian 
agent, or any other officer of government. Their 
appearance, therefore, at Washington was unex- 
pected by the president and the secretary of war, 
and their arrival was considered informal. Ac- 
cordingly when they were introduced to the 
secretary, he expressed his surprise that they 
had come without his having any notice from 
the government agents or officers, and that their 
arrival was out of order, and their embassy irre- 
gular. Between-the-Logs answered with the 
true spirit of a great and independent mind. 
"We got up and came of ourselves — we believed 
the great road was free to us." This retort 
made such an impression on the secretary, that 
he used all his influence with the president to 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 173 

obtain a hearing for our chief and his company, 
which he accomplished with difficuhy. When 
Between-the-Logs obtained the wished-for au- 
dience, the president rather abruptly and angri- 
ly asked Between-the-Logs, " why he came to 
trouble him, what was his business, and who 
sent him ?" Between-the-Logs was roused ; he 
was all dignity and acuteness, and with a ma- 
jesty and air of independence which struck the 
president with awe and respect, made the fol- 
lowing brief and cutting speech : — " Father, 
when we first came to your city, we saw roads 
leading from every part of the United States, 
and all of them ended at your house. Father, 
we thought these roads were intended for all to 
walk on who had any grievance to complain of, 
that they might have access to you at all times, 
and have their wrongs redressed. Father, we 
your red children have been wronged, we have 
therefore walked on this free road — we have 
come to yourself, that we might receive justice 
from you, and have our wrongs adjusted. Fa- 
ther, we want you to listen to our talk on this 
business." The president immediately request- 
ed him to stop his apology, and relate his griev- 
ances. Indeed, the abrupt and surly reception 
of the Indian ambassador was instantly con- 
verted into a patient and good-natured hearing 
of all he had to say. And so ably and faithful- 
ly did he plead the cause of his nation, and that 
of the Delawares and Senecas, before the pres- 
ident and secretary, that he obtained, if not all, 
nearly all he claimed, and returned with the 



174 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

highest regards of the heads of department at 
Washington, and related to his dejected people 
the success with which his labours were crown- 
ed. Thus, through his instrumentality, his 
nation obtained an enlargement of territory, 
and an increase of annuities. The above speech 
too was altogether unpremeditated, and was 
produced at the spur of the moment. Mr. 
Isaac Walker, who interpreted on the occasion, 
gave us the account of this affair. 

When the Gospel was first introduced among 
the Wyandots, by John Steward, the coloured 
man, Between-the-Logs was decidedly in its 
favour, and in the national council did all he 
could to encourage and promote religion among 
his people. At the time that Steward was about 
to visit Marietta, after his first arrival at San- 
dusky, Between-the-Logs and others, at the sug- 
gestion of some pious Indian women, attended 
a meeting of Stev/ard's, at the council house, 
which proved a great blessing to those who 
attended it. There the Divine presence was 
peculiarly present to enlighten and renovate. 
Between-the-Logs at this time became a subject 
of converting power. And when the Rev. James 
B. Finley formed the first church among them, 
he was the first who openly joined it, and turn- 
ed his back on the old superstitions. 

His Christian experience and character, too, 
were such as to entitle him to the respect and 
esteem of all good men. The following narra- 
tive of his Christian experience at a love feast, 
held on Mad River, on November 13th, 1819, 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 175 

will show the temper and feelings by which he 
was actuated. He first rose and spoke as fol- 
lows : " My dear brethren, I am happy this morn- 
ing that the Great Spirit has permitted us to 
assemble here for so good a purpose as to wor- 
ship him, and strengthen the cords of love and 
friendship. This is the first meeting of this 
kind held for us, and now, my dear brethren, I 
am happy that we who have been so long time 
apart, and have been enemies to one another, 
are come together as brothers, at which our 
Great Father is well pleased. For my part I 
have been a very wicked man, and have com- 
mitted many great sins against the Good Spirit, 
and was addicted to drinking whisky, and many 
evils ; but I thank my good God that I am yet 
alive, and that he has more perfectly opened my 
eyes to see those evils by his ministers, and the 
good book, and has given me help to forsake 
those sins, and turn away from them. Now I 
feel peace in my heart to God, and all men ; 
but I feel just like a little child beginning to 
walk — sometimes very weak and almost give up ; 
then I pray, and my Great Father hears me, and 
gives me the blessing : then I feel strong and 
happy — then I walk again : so sometimes up, 
and sometimes down. I want you all to pray 
for me that I may never sin any more; but 
always live happy, and die happy ; then I shall 
meet you all in our Great Father's house above, 
and be happy for ever." 

The following extract from his speech, before 
the Marietta conference, will show his admira- 



176 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ble Christian temper. This was in August, 
1822 :— " Though the chiefs have mostly left 
us, yet there are four faithful ones among us." 
(viz. Between-the-Logs, Hicks, Mononcue, and 
Peacock.) " Brothers, we know the cause why 
they have withdrawn ; it was the words of the 
Gospel. Brothers, it is too sharp for them ; it 
cuts too close ; it cuts all the limbs of sin from 
the body, and they don't like it ; but we, (mean- 
ing the other four,) are willing to have all the 
limbs of sin cut from our bodies, and live holy. 
We want the mission and school to go on, and 
we believe that the Great God will not suffer 
them to fall through ; for, brothers, he is very 
strong; and this, brothers, is our great joy. 
The wicked that do not like Jesus, raise up their 
hands and do all they can to discourage and de- 
stroy the love of the little handful ; and with their 
lands they cover over the roots of wickedness. 
But, brothers, they may do all they can to stop 
it, the work will go on and prosper, for the 
Great God Almighty holds it up with his hand." 
To some evil-disposed white persons who 
spoke disrespectfully of religion, the following 
answer of Between-the-Logs will serve as an 
excellent specimen of good sense and Christian 
fortitude : — " Some whites that live among us, 
and can talk our language, say the Methodists 
bewitch us, and that it is all nothing but the 
work of the devil, and all that they want is to get 
you tamed, and then kill you as they have done 
the Marawan Indians on the Tuskarawas River. 
I told them if we were to be killed, it was time 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 177 

for US to be praying." As an additional proof 
of his Christian fortitude, we refer to the man- 
ner in which he faced death when his brother, 
Bloody-Eyes, stood over him, with uplifted 
tomahawk, ready to strike the deadly blow, 
unless he would recant. But he knew not to 
swerve or recant. The religion of love, of 
power, of freedom from slavish fear, had tho- 
roughly seized on his whole soul ; therefore, on 
this trying occasion he chose death rather than 
deny his Lord and Master. As his Redeemer 
foiled Satan by quoting Scripture, so Between- 
the-Logs, his follower, subdued his murderous 
brother by quoting, '' Unless a man is willing 
to lay down his life for the sake of Christ and 
his religion, he is unworthy to be called the fol- 
lower of Christ." 

As a public speaker and preacher he may be 
ranked among the very foremost. After he 
embraced religion, and his understanding be- 
came enlightened and matured by experience, 
he was regularly appointed an exhorter in the 
Church ; and after some time was licensed to 
preach among his Indian brethren. As a class 
leader, he carefully attended to its duties, and 
faithfully led his little band in the way of holi- 
ness, reproving, exhorting, and comforting them 
as each stood in need. As an exhorter, he 
was always ready, and always appropriate in 
his addresses, and it may be said his exhortations 
were delivered with such pathos and force of 
argument and Scripture quotation, as always to 
render them efficient. Almost every sermon 
12 



178 INDIAN RIEMINISCENCES. 

delivered at Sandusky to the Indians was fol 
lowed by an exhortation from this influential 
and pious chief. And it is difficult to give an 
adequate idea of the effect of these addresses to 
any one except an eye and ear witness. Nay, 
more, when he prayed in public, a person even 
who did not understand his language, would 
feel, and be convinced in his judgment, that 
this holy man prayed by the help of the Divine 
Spirit ; for there was an unction, a force, a 
feeling, an energy, in his prayer, which spoke 
out in a manner that no one could misunder- 
stand. But when he entered upon that part of 
prayer called intercession or supplication, and 
when, with a voice interrupted with sobs, and 
softened down to almost stillness by the gush- 
ing of his tears, and when there would be heard 
the expression Yasus Lementera, Jesus have 
mercy J and especially if it were in behalf of 
some sinner groaning for redemption ; under 
such circumstances who could help feeling that 
the prevailing wrestling with God was then in 
immediate and successful progress? Farther 
yet ; or if you will have a specimen of the de- 
scended spirit, and the firm, unstaggering faith, 
and the undenying supplication, look at Be- 
tween-the-Logs when he was praying for his 
murderous brother, Bloody-Eyes, on that day 
when the latter bowed at the mercy seat, and 
agonized for pardoning mercy. 

And as a preacher he was neither last nor 
least. It is true, he could neither read nor write, 
nor understand English. But then his memory 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 179 

was so tenacious, that every passage of Scrip- 
ture which he ever heard quoted in preaching or 
otherwise, and every argument which he ever 
heard, were all stored up in his memory, and 
were perfectly at his command on all occasions. 
Add to thiSjhis uncommon eloquence, his mature 
judgment, his lively imagination, his almost un- 
limited influence among his people. All these 
united, and much more might be added, ren- 
dered him a preacher of no common standing. 

As a public speaker, in forensic or diploma- 
tic affairs, he may be equalled with the best In- 
dian orators. His speeches before the Ohio 
conference for a number of years, will equal 
the speeches of Logan, Red Jacket and others. 
His speeches before the president, to the Wy- 
andots in Canada, to the general council held at 
Upper Sandusky, will compare with any which 
the annals of Indian history can furnish. Many 
specimens of his oratory could be produced, 
were it necessary. 

But it may be asked. Among what class of 
orators may he be properly ranked ? To this we 
answer, he is to be classed among the pathetic 
orators. His style was plain, in general, and 
when figurative it was embued with all that could 
touch, gain attention, and convince. Mononcue 
employed the highest and most forcible figures 
which nature afforded : his very style, too, em- 
braced every lofty figure, and his manner and 
gestures were vehement and overwhelming, 
Between-the-Logs would insinuate and steal 
upon the feelings, would also convince the judg- 



180 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ment, and lead his hearers after him with the 
music of his voice, the beauties of his figures, 
the loveliness of truth, and, as a preacher of 
Christ, he would present the cross, and Calvary, 
Gethsemane, and the dying, melting sighs and 
last prayer of the Redeemer, and heaven too; 
and all the graces of the Spirit in this earth he 
would deal out with unsparing hand. Who, 
then, could resist him and his message ? But 
Mononcue would open his discourse with a 
thunder storm. The red lightning, and the 
endless burning were at his entire command ; 
but then he would preach Christ — and when he 
did, you would hear the dying groan on the cross 
uttered in your very hearing. You would see 
the rent rocks and veil of the temple, the dead ris- 
ing, the mighty angel rolling away the stone, he 
would show you the broken chain, the conquer- 
ed tomb, the prison thrown open, hell conquer- 
ed, and the captive walking in full liberty. Be- 
tween-the-Logs would speak in true Ciceronian 
style; while Mononcue would ask with stern 
boldness, " Is Philip dead ? To what purpose ? 
Yourselves will raise up another Philip 1 The 
one was a son of consolation ; the other was a 
Boanerges. When both were together, then 
the supply was complete. Indeed no one, ex- 
cept eye and ear witnesses, could be duly sen- 
sible of the happy effects which the addresses 
of these two Christian preachers produced on 
the hearts and lives of those who heard them. 

His mental powers can only be equalled by 
his ardent piety. We have already observed 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 181 

that he remembered every thing which he heard, 
and no distance of time could erase a jot or tittle 
of it from his memory. Take the following as 
a specimen : — On a certain occasion, when a 
general council for several nations, as the Wy- 
andots, Senecas, Delawares, Shawnese, was held 
at the council house, and Red Jacket was the 
chief for the Senecas, Between-the-Logs was 
speaker for his own nation, and general inter- 
preter for the whole council. The first day was 
entirely occupied by Red Jacket in delivering 
his speech, in which " he claimed kindred for 
his nation with their uncle, the Wyandots ; that 
both nations were in habits of intimacy in for- 
mer times; that the Wyandots had received 
many favours from the Senecas ; that the other 
nations were unworthy of their confidence ; and 
that the Wyandots would do well to grant a 
portion of their lands to the Senecas, who were 
desirous of becoming their neighbours, and sell 
out in York state." This speech occupied the 
whole day. On the next day Between-the-Logs 
rose up, and interpreted Red Jacket's speech 
into Wyandot, without missing a single word or 
idea of the whole. On the third day he delivered 
his speech, which also lasted during the day, in 
which he showed the incorrectness of Red Jack- 
et's statements, and the sophistry of his reason- 
ing, and showed conclusively that the Senecas 
had no just claims to their lands. It was ac- 
knowledged on all hands that he exceeded Red 
Jacket. Other proofs could be given of the 
extent of his memory. As an interpreter into 



182 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

all the Northern Indian languages he was an 
adept. An instance of this may also be given 
in the facility with which he conversed with a 
Mohawk woman, and interpreted a sermon from 
the Wyandot at the close of his conversation. 
Of this we were an eye and ear witness. Mr. 
Isaac Walker gave us the information respecting 
the part he acted in the above-named council, 
and we have no doubt of its correctness, as he 
was present on the occasion, and heard all the 
speeches delivered. Every mental power of 
the man was of the first order. Had he pos- 
sessed an education, few men of any age would 
excel him. 

As a chief of his nation, he was always faith- 
ful to their interests. He served his people 
without fee or reward. His time and t-alents 
were always devoted to their best interests. 
More than once he risked his life for the sake of 
his nation. He was also a constant prop to the 
mission and school. For their souls as well as 
their bodies he laboured incessantly. 

From Dr. Bangs' History of Missions, we. 
give the following account of his visit to the 
eastern cities : — 

" In the year 1826, he and Mononcue accom- 
panied Mr. Finley on a visit from Sandusky to 
New-York, where they attended several meet- 
ings, and, among others, the anniversary of the 
Female Missionary Society of New-York. Here 
Between-the-Logs spoke with great fire and ani- 
mation, relating his own experience of Divine 
things, and gave a brief narrative of the work of 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 183 

Gud among his people. Though he addressed 
ii\c audience through an interpreter who spoke 
the English language but imperfectly, yet his 
speech had a powerful effect upon those who 
heard him. His voice was musical, his gestures 
graceful, significant, and dignified, and his whole 
demeanour bespoke a soul full of lofty ideas and 
full of God. On one occasion he remarked, 
that when at home, he had been accustomed to 
be addressed by his brethren, but that since he 
had cor»e here, he had heard nothing that he 
understood, and added, ' I wonder if the people 
understapd one another, for I see but little eflTect 
produced by what is said.' After a few words 
spoken m reply to this remark, by way of expla- 
nation and apology, he kneeled down and offered 
a most fervent prayer to almighty God. In 
this journey, as they passed through the country, 
they visited Philadelphia, Baltimore, and several 
of the intervening villages, and held meetings, 
and took up collections for the benefit of th« 
mission. This tended to excite a missionary 
spirit amv^ng the people, and every where Be- 
tween-the Logs" was hailed as a monument of 
Divine meicy and grace, and as a powerful advo- 
cate for the cause of Christianity ; and he, to- 
gether with those who accompanied him, left a 
most favourable impression behind them of the 
good effects of the Gospel on the savage mind 
and heart." 

His journey to New-York, no doubt, hastened 
the progress of the consumption, which had pre- 
viously commenced its inroads on his constitu- 



184 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

tion. Indeed his various labours for the good 
of his fellow creatures contributed to undermine 
his bodily frame, which was by no means robust. 
Shortly after his return to his nation he was con- 
fined to his bed. A letter, dated Dec. 22,1826, 
states that he was then lying very low with the 
consumption, and that his recovery was entirely 
hopeless. A letter from the Rev. James Gil- 
ruth, the missionary at Sandusky, dated Jan. 20, 
1827, gives the information of his death. Mr. 
Gilruth visited him, and in conversation ques- 
tioned him closely. He asked him of his hope. 
He said, *' It is the mercy of God in Christ." 
He asked him of his evidence. He said, " It is 
the comfort of the Spirit." The missionary 
asked him if he was afraid to die. He said " 1 
am not." The missionary farther asked him, it 
he was resigned to go. The dying chief said, 
" I have felt some desires of the world, but they 
are all gone. I now feel willing to die or live, 
as God sees best." The day before his death, 
brother Finley visited him ; when he expressed 
his confidence in God, and a firm hope of eter- 
nal life, through Jesus Christ, so as to give satis- 
faction to all that heard him. He finally died 
in peace, leaving his nation to mourn the loss 
of a chief and a preacher of righteousness, to 
whom they felt themselves much indebted for 
his many exertions, both for their temporal and 
spiritual prosperity. 

His form was tall and manly. His counte- 
nance was open, friendly, sincere, with a strik- 
ing expression of sober thinking. His voice 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 185 

was musical, and when under the influence of 
pathetic feeling, was tremulous, plaintive, and 
deeply affecting. His gestures were graceful, 
significant, and dignified ; surpassing those of 
the most finished orator trained at the schools; 
and the simple reason was, he, like every other 
Indian, copied nature, in this respect. From 
known truth he never swerved on any occasion. 
His fortitude was such as to enable him to brave 
any danger. His Christian patience arrived to 
a degree of firmness as to imbue him deeply 
with the martyr's resolution, as was manifest 
from his conduct toward his brother when he 
came to murder him. Nor was he without 
failings. He showed he was human, and that 
he needed, with all the rest of God's children, 
the application of the blood of sprinkling ; to 
which, however, he constantly applied, and by 
which he was not only pardoned, but ''washed 
from his sins." Those of his own nation, who 
lived without God, could never resist the spirit 
and wisdom with which he spake. No Wyan- 
dot, or Indian of any nation, or even white man, 
would become the opponent of Between-the- 
Logs on the subject of the Christian religion. 
No man could hate him. All reverenced him. 
When he rebuked sin and sinners, which he 
never failed to do, he so much copied after his 
Master Christ, as rarely to offend persons of the 
most abandoned character. The profane spoke 
reverently in his hearing ; and transgressors 
shunned his presence, when determined to do 
evil. Statesmen admired his talents and integ- 



186 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

rity. He loved and served his people, and was 
a faithful ally of the United States. 



REMINISCENCE XXIII. 

Efficacy of the Gospel in commencing and completing 
civilization. 

It has been asserted, that the best way to 
Christianize the Indians, is first to civilize them 
and then to teach them the doctrines and pre- 
cepts of Christianity. In accordance with this 
sentiment it has been said, that missionaries, 
when commencing with instructing the savage 
tribes in Christian doctrines, begin in the wrong 
place. Some Christians have been of this opin- 
ion ; but the proper source of the doctrine is 
infidelity. We maintain that Christianity is suit- 
ed to every nation of every description, whether 
barbarous or civil. That it is suitable to sav- 
age life, innumerable proofs may be adduced. 
The Wyandot nation itself shows the efficien- 
cy of Christianity toward civilizing barbariarfS. 
As proofs of our doctrine we adduce the follow- 
ing. 

1. The attempts to civilize men without the 
aid of religion have entirely failed of success. 

As evidence of this, we may adduce the va- 
rious and expensive measures employed by the 
government of the United States, in attempting 
to civilize the Indian tribes. What has been 
accomplished by these means, in meliorating 
their condition, and Christianizing them 1 Very 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 187 

little, ill my opinion. Every eifort, except di- 
rect Christian effort, has been employed for this 
purpose, and yet the Indians are far from being 
civilized, much less Christianized. The civil 
agents employed to diffuse the blessings of civ- 
ilized life, have frequently, by example, which is 
the most successful mode of instruction, taught 
them the worst of vices. 

2. The effects of Christianity on the JVi/an- 
dots, show its efficiency both to civilize and mor- 
alize. 

The change for the better which religion has 
effected in this people is manifest in various ways. 
Drunkenness, so common and destructive among 
them, has been entirely abandoned by the reli- 
gious part of them, and to a considerable degree 
by the whole nation. Witchcraft, or pretence 
to supernatural agency, and which annually was 
the cause of death to numbers, has been entirely 
overturned, by the light and influence of the 
Gospel. Marriage has been introduced, so that 
the crimes which reigned where it had been dis- 
regarded have disappeared. Barbarous customs, 
too, such as dancing, feasting, &/C., have been 
discontinued. The arts of civilized life have 
been introduced, such as husbandry, the me- 
chanical arts. The chase has been, to a great 
degree, abandoned, and manual labour resorted 
to for the purpose of obtaining a living. The 
female sex has been raised to a condition far 
superior to what it was while they lived in a 
savage state. The younger part of the nation 
have learned to read, write, and the other parts 



188 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

of common education. The younger part of the 
females have learned to spin, sew, knit, and the 
most important parts of house work. Of all this 
we have been an eye and ear witness ; but as 
additional testimony, we present the following, 
which proves incontestably all we say in regard 
to the blessed effects of Christianity on the 
hearts, lives, and civilization of this people. 

3. The testimony of the missionaries who la- 
boured among them. 

The Rev. James Gilruth, under date of May 
31st, 1826, writes as follows : — " During the last 
war circumstances led me, by personal observa- 
tion, to form some acquaintance with the situa- 
tion of this people. I visited some of the prin- 
cipal families of the nation. Their habitations 
were truly miserable retreats from the inclemen- 
cy of the weather. A few poles tied together 
and covered with bark ; or small logs, forming 
a little cabin, over which was laid some bark, — 
about and in which hung parts of the slaughtered 
game, often in a state more fit for the dunghill 
than the dwelling of any human creature, — was 
the best and only habitation I discovered. Nor 
was agriculture in a better state among them. 
A few rods of ground, enclosed with some poles 
and brush, formed the principal farms which 
fell under my observation, one or two cases 
excepted. But things now assume an appear- 
ance of improvement scarcely paralleled in the 
history of uncivilized men, in any period of the 
world. There are now many excellent hewed 
log houses, with shingle roofs and brick chim- 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES, 189 

neys; on entering which the visiter is often 
delighted with the cleanliness of the house and 
furniture. There are many farms of several 
acres each, handsomely enclosed with excellent 
rail fence, and well cultivated. The face of 
things in general wears an appearance of in- 
creasing industry, and attention to the business 
of civilized life. This spirit of improvement is 
not confined to the Christian party ; the whole 
nation may be said to have caught the fire of 
emulation in some degree. Many of the females 
appear, both at home and abroad, and with a 
neatness and cleanliness that would not disgrace 
either town or country ladies. Many, both of 
the men and women, have laid by the Indian 
dress, and assumed that of the whites. I may 
safely say, the most abject condition now found 
on the reservation may be compared, in many 
respects, with the best in 1813, without suffering 
by the comparison. It remains to inquire for 
the causes of this rapid movement toward the 
excellencies of civilization. What the general 
government may have contributed toward this 
happy improvement, I am not now prepared to 
say ; but certain it is, that the government of 
Ohio, nor the inhabitants who surround them as 
neighbours, have much reason to look for the 
honour of this blessed work. No ; we are in- 
debted, under God, to some poor Methodist 
missionaries, who, regardless of their personal 
ease, have braved the difliculties, and brought 
forth an incontestible evidence to the world, that 
the Gospel of Jesus will overcome, not only the 



190 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

dispositions of the soul, but the most stubborn 
habits of life. Yes, I say, we are indebted to 
these men for this reformation ; who not only 
taught the poor bewildered Indians the way to 
God, but by their example taught them the way 
to live. To these men, under God, the praise 
is due : a praise more imperishable than the 
blood-won battles of Napoleon. A nation may 
be said to be born in a day : a nation rescued 
from the most degrading thraldom, by men only 
armed by the Spirit of truth and righteousness. 
These men will soon go to their God ; but they 
will live in the hearts of the good, while San- 
dusky waters a foot of Indian land. They are, 
and feel indebted to the benevolence of many 
they have never seen, for the timely support af- 
forded them in this great work." 

In their report for 1828, the managers of the 
Missionary Society of the M. E. Church employ 
the following language : — " The Wyandot mis- 
sion, situated on the Sandusky River, in the state 
of Ohio, continues greatly to prosper, and fully 
merits the patronage and support it has received 
from the Christian public. Agriculture, and 
the arts, and habits of domestic life, are taking 
the place of their former manner of living. 
These are blessed effects of Christianity upon 
their hearts and lives." 

Much more might be added from this source 
were it necessary. We refer, however, to the 
various communications from the Rev, James 
B. Finley, and the other missionaries stationed 
at Sandusky, published from time to time in the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 191 

Methodist Magazine and Christian Advocate 
and Journal. We will add, 

4. The testimony of the Indians themselves. 
Those who wish to consult the speeches of a 

number of chiefs, as given by Bishop Soule, in 
the Methodist Magazine for 1825, at page 32, 
will find that the views given above are abun- 
dantly confirmed by the Indians themselves. 

5. The testimony of distinguished clergymen 
who visited the Wyandots. 

From a communication of Bishop M'Kendree 
to the editors of the Methodist Magazine, dated 
Aug. 12, 1823, we give the following extracts : 

" In the afternoon we commenced visiting the 
schools, and repeated our visits frequently during 
the five days which we stayed with them. — 
These visits were highly gratifying to us, and 
they afforded us an opportunity of observing 
the behaviour of the children, both in and out 
of the school, their improvement in learning, and 
the whole order and management of the school ; 
together with the proficiency of the boys in 
agriculture, and of the girls in the various do- 
mestic arts. They are sewing and spinning 
handsomely, and would be weaving if they had 
looms. The children are cleanly, chaste in 
their manners, kind to each other, peaceable, 
and friendly to all. They promptly obey orders, 
and do their work cheerfully without any objec- 
tion or murmur, they are regular in their at- 
tendance on family devotion and the public 
worship of God, and sing delightfully. Their 
proficiency in learning was gratifying to us, 



192 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

and is well spoken of by visiters. If they do 
not sufficiently understand what they read, it is 
for the want of suitable books, especially a 
translation of English words, lessons, hymns, 
&c. into their own tongue. 

" But the change which has been wrought 
among the adult Indians, is wonderful ! This 
people, ' that walked in darkness, have seen a 
great light, — they that dwelt in the land of the 
shadow of death, upon them hath the light 
shined.' And they have been ' called from 
darkness into the marvellous light' of the 
Gospel." 

" The first successful missionary that appeared 
among them, was Mr. Steward, a coloured man, 
and a member of our Church. The state of 
these Indians is thus described by him, in a 
letter to a friend, dated in June last. 

"'The situation of the Wyandot nation of 
Indians, when I first arrived among them, near 
six years ago, may be judged of from their 
manner of living. Some of their houses were 
made of small poles and covered with bark ; 
others of bark altogether. Their farms con- 
tained from about two acres to less than half 
an acre. The women did nearly all the work 
that was done. They had as many as two 
ploughs in the nation, but these were seldom 
used. In a word, they were really in a savage 
state.' 

" But now they are building hewed log houses, 
with brick chimneys, cultivating their lands, and 
successfully adopting the various agricultural 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 193 

arts. They now manifest a relish for, and begin 
to enjoy the benefits of, civilization; and it is 
probable that some of them will, this year, raise 
an ample support for their families, from the 
produce of their farms," 

The following extract from Bishop Soule's 
letter, to the editor of the xMethodist Magazine, 
dated Nov. 13, 1824, will show the state of 
things, when he, in company with Bishop 
M'Kendree, paid the Wyandots a visit on the 
preceding August : — 

'' The change which has been produced, both 
in the temporal and spiritual condition of this 
people, is matter of praise to Him, ' who has 
made of one blood all nations of men to dwell 
upon the face of the whole earth ;' and cannot 
be viewed but with the most lively pleasure by 
every true philanthropist. Prior to the opening 
of the mission among them, their condition was 
truly deplorable. Their religion consisted of 
paganism, improved, as they conceived, by the 
introduction of some of the ceremonies of the 
Roman Catholic Church. Hence, although 
they were baptized, they kept up their heathen 
worship, their feasts, their songs, and their dan- 
ces ; sad proofs of their deep ignorance of God, 
and of that worship which he requires. In this 
state the belief in witchcraft was so strong and 
prevalent as to produce the most melancholy 
consequences. Numbers have been put to death 
as witches under the influence of this belief. 
Their morals were of the most degraded kind. 
Drunkenness, with all its concomitant train of 
13 



194 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

vitfes, had overrun the nation. Poverty, and 
nakedness and misery, followed in their deso- 
jating course. In this condition the chase was 
their chief, if not their only resource. The 
cultivation of their lands, although among the 
most fertile and beautiful in the western coun- 
try, was almost entirely neglected. To the 
comfort of domestic life they were consequently 
strangers. Such were the Wyandot Indians, 
when the missionary labours were commenced 
among them. Their present situation presents 
a most pleasing contrast. A large majority of 
the nation have renounced their old religion, and 
embraced the Protestant faith, and they gener- 
ally gave ample proof of the sincerity of their 
profession by the change of their manner of 
life. Those especially who have joined the 
society, and put themselves under the discipline 
of the Church, are strictly attentive to all the 
means of grace, so far as they understand them, 
in order to obtain the spiritual and eternal 
blessings proposed in the Gospel : and the regu- 
larity of their lives, and the solemnity and 
fervency of their devotions may well serve as a 
reproof to many nominal Christian congrega- 
tions and Churches. As individuals, they speak 
humbly but confidently of the efficacy of Divine 
grace in changing their hearts, and of the wit- 
ness of the Spirit, by which they have the 
knowledge of the forgiveness of their sins, and 
of peace with God, referring others to the out- 
loard and visible change which has taken place, 
as the evidence of the great and blessed work 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 195 

which God has wrought among them. The 
happy effects of the Gospel are becoming more 
and more obvious. Their former superstitions 
have almost entirely yielded to the force and 
simplicity of truth. The wandering manner 
of life is greatly changed, and the chase is 
rapidly giving place to agriculture, and the vari- 
ous necessary employments of civilized life. 
The tomahawk, and the scalping knife, and the 
rifle, and the destructive bow, are yielding the 
palm to the axe, the plough, the hoe, and the 
sickle. 

" It is delightful to notice their manifest incli- 
nation to the habits of domestic and social life. 
If we may depend on the correctness of our 
information, and we received it from sources 
which we had no reason to dispute, those of the 
Indians who have embraced the Protestant reli- 
gion are generally, if not unanimously, in favour 
of cultivating the soil, and of acquiring and 
possessing property on the principles of civili- 
zation. This, with suitable encouragement and 
instruction, will lead to a division of their lands, 
personal possession of real estate, and laws to 
secure their property. The national govern- 
ment, in its wisdom and benevolence, has adopted 
measures for the instruction and civilization, not 
only of the Wyandots, but also of many of the 
Indian nations on our vast frontiers ; and the 
Christian missionary, animated with the love of 
souls, whose great object is to do good on the 
most extensive plan within his power, will re- 
pice to contribute his influence to promote 



196 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

the success of these measures. Such is the 
relative condition, the education, and the hahits 
of the Indians, that much depends upon the 
character of the government agents, the mis- 
sionaries, and the teachers employed among 
them. They must be instructed and encouraged 
both by precept and example. Happy will it be 
for the Indians when the efforts of their civil, 
literary, and religious agents are thus harmo- 
niously united. With such a joint exertion, 
there can be little doubt but the Wyandot na- 
tion will at no very distant period, be a civilized, 
religious, and happy people. It is to be feared 
that a number of traders, near the boundary 
lines of the Indian lands, have, by supplying 
them with whisky and other articles, con- 
tributed, in no small degree, to prevent the 
progress of religious influence and civilization 
among them. This destructive traffic calls the 
Indian to his hunting ground to obtain skins to 
pay his* debts, and at the same time it affords 
the means of intemperance and intoxication, 
from whence arise quarrels, and sometimes 
blood shedding. Will not this be required in 
the great day of righteous retribution, at the 
hand of the white man ? The reformed among 
the Indians see and deplore the evil, but have 
not the means of removing it." 

6. Tei^timony of distinguished politicians. 

Mr. John Johnston, agent for Indian affairs, 
under date of Aug. 23, 1823, writes as follows 
to Bishop M'Kendree : — 



INDIAN REMINtSCENCJES. 197 

" Sir, — I have just closed a visit of several 
days, in attending to the state of the Indians at 
this place, and have had frequent opportunities 
of examining the progress and condition of the 
school and mission, under the management of 
Ihe Rev. James B. Finley. The buildings and 
improvements of the establishment are substan- 
tial and extensive ; and do this gentleman great 
credit. The farm is under excellent fence, and 
in fine order ; comprising about one hundred 
and forty acres, in pasture, corn, and vegeta- 
bles. There are about fifty acres in corn, which, 
from present appearances, will yield three thou- 
sand bushels. It is by much the finest crop I 
have seen this year — has been well worked, and 
is clear of grass and weeds. There are twelve 
acres in potatoes, cabbages, turnips, and gar- 
den. Sixty children belong to the school, of 
which number fifty-one are Indians. These 
children are boarded and lodged at the mission 
house. They are orderly and attentive ; com- 
prising every class, from the alphabet to readers 
in the Bible. I am told by the teacher, that 
they are apt in learning, and that he is entirely 
satisfied with the progress they have made. 
They attend with the family regularly to the 
duties of religion. The meeting house, on the 
Sabbath, is numerously and devoutly attended. 
A better congregation in behaviour I have not 
beheld : and I believe there can be no doubt, 
that there are very many persons, of both sexes, 
in the Wyandot nation, who have experienced 
the saving effects of the Gospel upon their 



198 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

minds. Many of the Indians are now settling 
on farms, and have comfortable houses and 
large fields. A spirit of order, industry, and 
improvement, appears to prevail with that part 
of the nation which has embraced Christianity ; 
and this constitutes a full half of the whole pop- 
ulation. 

" I do not pretend to offer any opinion here 
on the practicability of civilizing the Indians 
under the present arrangements of the govern- 
ment ; — but, having spent a considerable por- 
tion of my life, in managing this description of 
people, I am free to declare, that the prospect of 
success here is greater than I have ever before 
witnessed — that this mission is ably and faith- 
fully conducted, and has the strongest claims 
upon the countenance and support of the Meth- 
odist Church, as well as the Christian public at 
large." 

The following extract from Judge Leib's re- 
port to the department of war, gives an interest- 
ing account of his visit to Sandusky, on the 12th 
Nov., 1826. From this report, by an intelligent 
official gentleman, in no way, that we know of, 
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
the influence of religion, in civilizing savage 
man, will appear in every respect efficient : — 

" On Tuesday, the 10th of November last, I 
left Detroit for Upper Sandusky, where I ar- 
rived on the 12th, and found this establishment 
in the most flourishing state. All was harmo- 
ny, order, and regularity, under the superin- 
tending care of the Rev. Mr. Finley. Too 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 199 

much praise cannot be bestowed on this gentle- 
man. His great good sense, his unaffected zeal 
in the reformation of the Indians, his gracious 
manners, and conciliating disposition, fit him 
in a peculiar manner for the accomplishment of 
his purpose ; and the fruits of his labours are 
every where visible : they are to be found in 
every Indian and Indian habitation. By Indian 
habitation here is meant a good comfortable 
dwelling, built in the modern country style, with 
neat and well finished apartments, and furnish- 
ed with chairs, tables, bedsteads, and beds, 
equal, at least, in all respects to the generality 
of whites around them. The Wyandots are a 
fine race, and I consider their civilization ac- 
complished, and little short in their general im- 
provement to an equal number of whites in our 
frontier settlements. They are charmingly sit- 
uated in a most fruitful country. They hunt 
more for sport than subsistence, for cattle seem 
to abound among them, and their good condi- 
tion gives assurance of the fertility of their soil 
and the rich herbage which it produces, for the 
land is every where covered with the richest 
blue grass. They mostly dress like their white 
neighbours, and seem as contented and happy 
as any other portion of people I ever saw. A 
stranger would believe he was passing through 
a white population, if the inhabitants were not 
seen ; for beside the neatness of their houses 
with chimneys and glazed windows, you see 
horses, cows, sheep, and hogs grazing every 
where, and wagons, harness, ploughs, and other 



200 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

implements of husbandry, in their proper places. 
In short, they are the only Indians within the 
circle of my visits, whom I consider as entirely 
reclaimed, and whom I should consider it a 
cruelty to attempt to remove. They ought to be 
cherished and preserved as the model of a col- 
ony, should any be planted and nurtured in re- 
mote places from our frontier settlements. 
They are so far advanced, in my opinion, as 
to be beyond the reach of deterioration. The 
whole settlement may now be looked upon as a 
school. Two acres of the missionary farm have 
been cleared and enclosed since last year, and 
sown with timothy seed, and about eighteen 
acres cleared which were before enclosed and 
sown with wheat. There is but one male teach- 
er, who instructs the children in spelling, read- 
ing, writing, arithmetic, and grammar. There 
are seventy children from four to twenty years 
of age — thirty-four boys and thirty-six girls. 
The wife of the school master assists her hus- 
band, and instructs the girls in knitting, spin- 
ning, &,c. The children are contented and 
happy. There are two men regularly hired, 
who work on the farm under the direction of the 
Rev. Mr. James Gilruth, who appears to be an 
able and experienced husbandman. The boys 
assist in the farming operations. A good and 
handsome stone meeting house, forty feet in 
length by thirty in breadth, has been erected 
since last year. It is handsomely and neatly 
finished inside. There are of the Wyandots 
two hundred and sixty who have become mem 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. SW 

bers of the Church. They are divided into ten 
classes, in which there are thirteen leaders, five 
exhorters, and five stewards. Some of the 
largest boys belonging to the school are about 
learning trades. Forty-three acres of ground 
have been sown in corn, ten laid down in grass, 
and three appropriated for a garden, since my 
last visit. The farm is well supplied with horses, 
oxen, cows, and swine, and all the necessary 
farming utensils. I cannot forbear mentioning 
a plan adopted by this tribe under the auspices 
of the superintendent, which promises the most 
salutary effects. A considerable store has been 
fitted up on their reserve, and furnished with 
every species of goods suited to their wants, and 
purchased with their annuities. An account is 
opened with each individual who deals thereat, 
and a very small profit required. Mr. William 
Walker, a quadroon, one of the tribe, a trust- 
tvorthy man, and well qualified by his habits 
and education to conduct the business, is their 
agent. The benefits resulting from this estab- 
lishment are obvious. The Indian can at home 
procure every necessary article at a cheap rate, 
and avoid not only every temptation which as- 
sails him when he goes abroad, but also great 
imposition. What he has to sell is here pur- 
chased at a fair price. The profits of the store 
are appropriated to the general benefit. This 
plan it seems to me promises many advantages. 
The merchandise with which this store is fur- 
nished, was bought in New York, on good 
terms." 



202 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

7. Testimonies concerning other nations of 
pagans. 

We will make some extracts from Kay's 
Caffrarian Researches, as exhibiting important 
evidence in favour of the efficiency of religion 
in reclaiming and civilizing man, as well as the 
entire failure of plans of government, in doing 
the one or the other. The Caffer, too, may be 
considered as furnishing one of the most difficult 
problems, and if Christ's religion spreads among 
this people, its success cannot be despaired of 
among any other on the face of the earth. 
The following is a comment on the failure of an 
attempt to civilize a clan in Natal, Caffi-aria, by 
sending some Englishmen, under the command 
of a British Lieutenant, who, without ministers 
of religion, attempted the work of civilization, 
by introducing agriculture and the arts : — 

*' Here then we have a party of settlers, such 
we may suppose as Captain Stout, of the Her- 
cules, and others of his way of thinking, would, 
in all probability, recommend as the civilizers 
of Africa ! men of science, men of enterprise ; 
men of general information, accompanied by 
labouring men ; men who professedly went to 
trade and to cultivate, to introduce the plough, 
and European manufactures, &c ; and among 
whom there were no ' order of missionaries or 
clergy,' nor even a single individual that seem- 
ed to have the most distant idea of introducing 
* any system of religion whatever.' We may 
now, therefore, fairly ask, how far this religion- 
less scheme tended to civilize, or to make the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 203 

wretched barbarians * useful members of a reg- 
ular community.' Did their precepts or conduct 
tend to rescue their swarthy neighbour from the 
degraded state in which they found him, to raise 
him above habits that are disgraceful to human 
nature, to show him that heathenish customs are 
decidedly injurious, and that his manners, in 
many respects, reduce him, literally, to a level 
with the brute. Were their enterprising plans 
such as actually elevated either his mind or his 
character, making him ashamed of a state of 
nudity ; exciting willingness to adopt industri- 
ous habits, in the place of predatory ones ; 
convincing him that * honesty is the best policy,' 
that truth is excellent, and falsehood abomina- 
ble; and that peace is essentially necessary to 
the happiness and well-being of society ? Alas ! 
instead of doing this, our adventurers had not 
been many weeks in the land before dissension 
and strife arose among them ; and, so far from 
constituting exemplars of ' peace and good 
will,' they soon constrained even the savage to 
remark, ' See how these white men disagree 1' 
Pride began to work ; disputes were the result ; 
divisions presently followed; and the whole 
company, instead of strengthening each other's 
hands, in the course of a very short time be- 
came completely scattered. The greater part 
of them immediately left the country ; and sev- 
eral were never more heard of, being lost, as 
was supposed, at sea, on their passage back to 
the colony. 

** It is easy for our civilizing theorizers, in the 



204 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

comfortable enjoyment of all the benefits of 
civilization, gravely to philosophize, and tell us 
what they would do, and what might be done by 
instructing the rude children of nature in this 
art and in that. Speculation, however, is one 
thing, and practice another. In our own en- 
lightened land, the tide of corrupt passion is 
stemmed, and great moral achievements facili- 
tated by established laws, by ancient institu- 
tions, and by universal usages ; by the force of 
Christian education, national examples, a Gos- 
pel ministry, and the power of faithful prayer. 
But not so in the regions of paganism. There 
public example is heathenism, and heathenism 
only : lust and vice are almost wholly uncon- 
trolled ; virtue has no support ; the very atmos- 
phere itself seems as if dense with moral evil, 
and the powers of darkness hold undisturbed do- 
minion. In such a situation, therefore, without 
the counsel of Christian friends, the warnings 
of a Christian minister, or the salutary influence 
of Christian ordinances, men soon become 
deaf to the checks of better principles. Fan- 
cied insult arouses revengeful feelings ; unre- 
strained passions speedily generate incredible 
licentiousness; while avarice and self interest 
prompt to acts the most iniquitous. 

" Beside such a force, bare morality, upright 
intentions, and the gentleman's high toned 
'principles of honour,' rank, and whatnot, are 
borne down like so many straws in the stream ; 
and, instead of civilizing others, he gradually 
slides from one degree of corruption to another, 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 205 

until he at length becomes himself a savage, a 
perfect sensualist, a polygamist, and that of the 
most depraved cast ! ' There is a significant 
phrase,' says the pious Newton, a clergyman of 
the Church of England, who spent several 
years in Africa, ' frequently used on the coast 
of Guinea, that such a man is "grown black." 
It does not mean an alteration of complexion, 
but of disposition. I have known several who, 
settled in Africa after the age of thirty or forty, 
have at that time of life been gradually assimi- 
lated to the tempers, customs, and ceremonies 
of the natives so far as to prefer that country to 
England. They have even become dupes to all 
the pretended charms, necromancies, amulets, 
and divinations of the blinded negroes.' And, 
incredible as it may appear, there are now in 
Caffraria also Englishmen whose daily garb 
differs little from the beast-hide covering of their 
neighbours ; whose proper colour can scarcely 
be identified for the filth that covers them ; and 
whose domestic circles, like those of the native 
chieftains themselves, embrace from eight to 
ten black wives or concubines !" 

The above is not different from what has oc- 
curred among our own Indians, and under the 
auspices of our own government. And though 
the success of missions among our aborigines 
has been far from what could be desired ; yet 
we have reason to believe that the want of suc- 
cess has been owing principally to these two 
causes. 1. The deteriorating influence of the 
example of white persons among them. 2. Mis- 



206 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

sionaries themselves have followed too far the 
infidel plan of first civilizing, and then Chris- 
tianizing. Or in other words, they have not 
fully sanctified the Lord, in making religion the 
axe to cut down the tree of barbarity and irre- 
ligion. They have introduced civilized arts 
first, and put them in the place of religion. — 
Instead of first erecting houses and other build- 
ings, and then introducing schools, and, last^ 
religion ; were religion made first and principal, 
we have reason to believe the Almighty would 
send down his large blessing, and the work 
would be done. The plan then most proper to 
be pursued, especially toward our Indians, 
seems to be this. Let the missionary go among 
them, let him eat, and sleep and live as they do, 
except following their sinful courses ; and let 
him preach Christ, and the savages will hear 
and will be converted to the religion of the Bi- 
ble. Then, when he is become a new man, he 
will readily give up savage habits, will cultivate 
the fields for his subsistence, will encourage 
schools and the arts, and will become in short 
a civilized man. 

Speaking of the progress and blessings of the 
Gospel, as eflTecting a glorious change for the 
better, the author of the Researches remarks, — 
*' On our return to the colony, reflection led me, 
while passing along, to remark on the change 
that is manifest in all places where the Gospel 
has been established. A mere traveller, or stran- 
ger visiting these parts, might perhaps be ready, 
from general appearances, to conclude that little 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 207 

or nothing had been effected ; that because he 
found not villages in complete European style, 
communities of well-dressed persons, and houses 
furnished according to his own views and taste, 
no change whatever had been wrought. But a 
contrast of the present with the past furnishes 
satisfactory and abundant evidence to the con- 
trary : the simple testimony of the native him- 
self will fully show that much has been done ; 
that the condition of the female sex has even 
already been ameliorated ; that the state of so- 
ciety is considerably improved ; and that the 
doctrines of Divine truth are gradually expelling 
from their darkened understandings the delusive 
phantoms of sorcery, and witchcraft, &.c. 

''Although numbers of soothsayers, wizards, 
and sorceresses dwelt in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of almost every station at its com- 
mencement, there is scarcely one of these 
characters now to be found near any of them. 
They are confessedly unable to maintain their 
ground or sustain their reputation, where the 
people learn to pray, saying, ' Lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine 
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,' 
&LC. There, instead of the sanguinary orgies 
of their ancestors, or the pagan ceremonies of 
their still benighted neighbours, who have no 
other help in time of trouble, nor hope of relief 
amid the parching droughts of summer, we find 
whole congregations solemnly acknowledging 
the hand of Divine Providence, and with our 
poet singing, — 



208 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

* He makes the grass the hills adorn, 
And clothes the smiling fields with corn , 
The beasts -with food his hands supply, 
And the young ravens when they cry ' 

" On every station the mission plough is 
busily engaged, and bids fair for ultimately 
putting down the field labour of the woman al- 
together. Having planted a few twigs of the 
mulberry, together with various other fruit trees, 
at Mount Coke, in 1825, I now found them 
flourishing luxuriantly ; as also at Wesleyville, 
where both soil and climate seem to suit them 
very well. I trust, therefore, that in course of 
time the silkworm will be introduced, and con- 
stitute a profitable source of employment for the 
natives. Schools have been every where estab- 
lished ; and notwithstanding the numerous dif- 
ficulties arising out of a total want of books, 
from manuscript lessons alone many of the 
children have acquired a knowledge of letters, 
so as to be now able to read, in their own tongue, 
* the wonderful works of God.' Their barba- 
rous and hitherto unorganized language is at 
length brought into form, and consecrated to 
purposes the most sacred. Grammars, diction- 
aries, and translations of different parts of 
Scripture will soon be ready for the press." 

After stating that the general increase of re- 
ligious knowledge was considerably beyond 
what might have been expected for the time, 
the author of the Researches observes, "As to 
morality, neither the theory nor the practice of 
it was discernible among them in their native 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 209 

State. There was no justice, no mercy, no ho- 
liness, no truth ; there was none that did good, 
no, not one. On the contrary, wickedness 
overspread the whole land, which was full of 
thefts, covetousness, lasciviousness, and almost 
every species of crime. Iniquity thus reigned 
unto death, uncontrolled and unchecked, so 
far as the eye of man could discern ; for the 
people seemed to be without any law which 
condemned the vicious propensities, or any fear 
of the righteous indignation of God. Sin 
abounded to such an alarming extent, that 
they appeared to be without law ; and unless 
grace had much more abounded, sending unto 
them the Gospel, none would have been re- 
deemed from his iniquity, or turned from dark- 
ness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
God. But by the word of salvation this change 
has been effected ; and there are now Caffers 
to be found, who may be truly denominated 
moral men." 

We will conclude our quotations from Mr. 
Kay by giving part of the closing paragraph of 
his interesting and instructive volume : — 

" Government, indeed, may do much in pro- 
tecting them from foes without ; but theirs is 
not the province to put down or subjugate the 
enemy within. Ignorance and superstition will 
still bear down into eternal darkness whole na- 
tions of men, unless Christians unweariedly 
exert themselves in sending forth the light of 
truth. Much has been done toward checking 
the horrid rites and sanguinary orgies connect- 
14 



210 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

ed with idolatry in India, by appeals to the 
British legislature ; and much, we trust, will 
ere long be done for the enslaved African in 
the west, by similar measures; but these, alas! 
ca/i do little or nothing for the pagan nations 
of Africa itself, inasmuch as they are wholly 
independent of our jurisdiction. With a coun- 
try of their own, and governments of their own 
framing, they are placed beyond the reach of 
every thing, save Christ and his Gospel. 
Hence, if the friends of religion come not forth 
to their help, millions of poor children must 
remain for ever untaught; entire regions be 
left altogether destitute of schools and churches, 
as well as of teachers ; and generation must 
continue to follow generation into eternity 
without so much as ever seeing a book ! Nay, 
thousands of miserable females must still be 
tortured ; multitudes of innocent individuals 
annually sacrificed ; and tens of thousands 
dragged, while struggling with death, into 
glens and jungles, as food for beasts of prey !" 
8. For the purpose of establishing more fully 
our position, if need be, we might adduce evi- 
dence from the missions established by various 
denominations of evangelical Christians. The 
Moravian missions alone would establish the 
truth that the Gospel is not only the more direct 
way to civilize man ; but it is the only way to 
moralize him. The Wesleyan Methodist mis- 
sions can be appealed to as triumphantly estab- 
lishing our proposition. The Baptist and other 
missions in India and the West Indies, and the 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 211 

various missionary establishments under the 
board of commissioners for foreign missions, 
furnish a large mass of evidence in favour of 
commencing the work of civilization, by preach- 
ing the doctrines of the cross. Indeed it may 
be said of Protestant missions, in general, that 
they are admirably calculated to raise from bar- 
barity, to civilize and Christianize; while it may 
be said of Roman Catholic missions, in general, 
that they exert very little moral influence. This 
seems to arise from the very genius and spirit 
of Romanism. Where they have had the pop- 
ulation under their control for centuries, the 
common people are unlettered, are untaught as 
it regards the principles of general knowledge. 
A Latin mass service, no course of Biblical in- 
struction, few sermons except harangues against 
heretics, prohibition against reading the Bible, 
and of thinking or reasoning concerning Scrip- 
ture, are poor means of inculcating knowledge. 
In Italy, Spain, Ireland, South America, Can- 
ada, 6lc., the PEOPLE are still ignorant. And 
while they are zealous in America to establish 
colleges and seminaries for the purpose of pros- 
elyting Protestant children to the faith of Rome, 
the children of their own people, to a great ex- 
tent, are growing up in gross ignorance and 
immorality. If there was no other proof of the 
corruption of Romanism than this, it would and 
does suffice to sink its pretensions in the esti- 
mation of all who reason on the subject. And, 
as a proof in favour of the religion of Protest- 
ants, or the religion of the Bible, their efforts 



212 INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 

and success in promoting knowledge, civiliza- 
tion, and general good will among men, ought 
to entitle them to the respect of all, and to the 
general reception of their religion. 

9. A concluding remark may be offered re- 
specting the Wyandot nation. From the proofs 
adduced, it must appear clear, that religion has, 
to a great degree, civilized them. Yet, in con- 
sequence of a species of persecution raised 
against them under plausible pretexts, it is pos- 
sible that religion and civilization may become 
extinct, and the nation itself entirely extermi- 
nated. As they possess a rich, beautiful, and 
extensive tract of land, surrounded by white 
settlers; such a fertile spot is an object of desire 
to avaricious white men. Hence the whites 
ardently desire to see the Wyandot reservation 
exposed to sale ; which can be done only by its 
being first purchased by the United States. Con- 
sequently the surrounding settlers have importu- 
nately petitioned the Ohio legislature to use their 
influence with the general government, to cause 
a purchase to be made of the Wyandot lands. 
Accordingly an agent has been sent from Wash- 
ington city in order to make the purchase. 
The governor of Ohio has used all his official 
and personal influence to induce them to sell. 
Agents and officers of every description press 
the subject by every means in their power. The 
white people have impoverished them much by 
stealing almost all their horses. Thus they are 
beset by importunate and interested persons, so 
as to produce divisions among themselves. If they 



INDIAN REMINISCENCES. 213 

stay where they are they are robbed and haras- 
sed. If they sell out, and go west of the Mis- 
sissippi, they are compelled to live a savage life, 
at least for a while, in consequence of the new- 
ness of the country ; or they are thrown among, 
or along side of barbarous, uncivilized Indian 
nations, or vicious, ignorant, and cruel white 
settlers, the dregs of our population. These 
are the prospects which have recently been pre- 
sented in the state of this once powerful nation ; 
though now reduced to a handful. Surround- 
ed with such enemies, and placed in such cir- 
cumstances, is it marvellous if civilization and 
the whole nation should perish together ? Would 
white men have any courage to improve farms, 
and pursue the useful arts under such circum- 
stances as these ? Do the squatters, who settle 
on congress lands, or on the lands of others, 
make permanent improvements, or dwell in 
comfortable houses 1 And what encourage- 
ment have the Wyandots to pursue the arts of 
civilized life, who are in hourly expectation of 
an expulsion from their homes, and of being 
immured in the dense forest west of the Mis- 
sissippi ? This is a terrible state of things ; 
and the Judge of all the earth will recompense 
their oppressors. But the principle maintained 
above, that we are to introduce religion among 
all men, whether civil or barbarous, and thus 
extend the blessings of the Gospel to every na- 
tion under heaven, stands fully established. 



CONTENTS 



REMINISCENCE I.— John Steward the coloured 
man, the apostle of the Wyandots — His conversion 
— Licensed to exhort — Remarkable dream — Sets 
out from Marietta toward the north-west — Arrives 
at Goshen among the Moravian Delawares — Jour- 
ney to Pipe town — Incidents there . . P. 7 

II. — Steward continued — Departure from Pipetown and 
arrival at Sandusky — His reception at Mr. Walker's 
— Journey to Jonathan's — First preaching among 
the Wyandots — Fulfilment of his dream . 15 

III — Licensing of John Steward to preach . 21 

IV. — Steward continued — Opposition from Catholic 
prejudices — Another objection raised — Opposition 
from the chiefs Hicks and Mononcue — Their 
speeches — Several chiefs converted — Speech of 
Between-the-Logs — Low state of Steward's health 
— His death — Vindication of his character 25 

v.— Character of Steward .... 35 

VI. — The Marietta conference in August 1822, and the 
Wyandot delegation . . . • . 40 

VII. — Journal — My appointment as missionary to San- 
dusky — Journey, and incidents on the way — Ar- 
rival 46 

VIII. — Journal continued — First Sabbath at Sandusky 
— Interview with the chiefs and Steward — Preach- 
ing — An Indian marriage — Questions by Warpole 
— A child baptized — Visit from Steward . 54 



CONTENTS.! 215 

REMINISCENCE IX.— Journal continued— Conver- 
sation with Warpole — His three questions answer- 
ed — His account of Indian doctrines — Another ob- 
jection of his answered . . - . . 58 

X. — Journal — Exhortations of Between-the-Logs and 
Armstrong — Arrival of brother Finley — Incidents 
during his stay — Prayers of the chiefs for the re- 
covery of his health 6^ 

XI. — Journal — Meeting at the Big Springs — Descrip 
tion of the wigwam — Supper — Evening's devo- 
tions — Manner of sleeping ... 74 

XII. — Organization and progress of the school — Gen- 
eral character of the children — Two anecdotes — 
Contemplated good results of the school — Different 
lights in which it is viewed by the Indians — Two 
anecdotes of Mrs. Hill — Behaviour of the children 
at prayer ....... 78 

XIII. — The school continued — Description of the mis- 
sion house — Employ of the boys and girls — Num- 
ber and employ of the mission family — Dress of 
the Indian children — Religious state of the Indians 
— Skill of the children in singing — Their manner 
of sleeping ....... 86 

XIV. — Naming the children — Strong passion of the boys 
for hunting — Manner of sitting at meals — An in- 
teresting meeting — The Little Chief — Prayer meet- 
ing at John Hicks' — Prayer meeting at the school 
house — Confession of the Little Chief — The school 
— Second quarterly meeting — School examination, 
School committee — Rules to govern the school 94 

XV. — Interpreting — Good behaviour of the Indians at 
meeting — Shaking of hands — The Amen — Num- 
ber of dogs — of horses — Marriage — Witchcraft — 
Painting their faces — The Wyandot language 106 

XVI. — The Big Springs meeting — Journey there — Sup- 
per — Meeting on Saturday evening — Mode of 
sleeping — Between-the-Logs' account of his broth- 
er Bloody-Eyes' attempt to kill him — Meeting on 
Sabbath 117 



216 CONTENTS. 

REMINISCENCE XVII.-The Mohawk Woman 134 

^VI"— -The Delaware camp meeting — Rev. Mr 

llughes— The Urbana conference— Conversion of 

Lump-on-the-Head— Administration of the sacra- 

"^^^^ 131 

XIX. — The second quarterly meeting . 137 

XX.-BigTree •....! 149 
XXI.— Council of Indian chiefs— An account of it 156 
XXII. — Between-the-Logs .... 160 

XXIII.— Efficacy of the Gospel in commencing and 
completing civilization . ^ jg^. 



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